Crossroads
by Criminalmindschick221
Summary: Haley gets an offer to go on a country-wide tour for the three months of summer and this time she wants to take her family with her, but she and Nathan both agree that Jamie is too young so they decide to leave their son under the care of his godparents: Brooke and Lucas, who are both single and both undeniably lonely. They are at a crossroads. Will they let history repeat itself?
1. From The Beginning

**"The course of love never did run smooth."**

William Shakespeare

* * *

He was running, hard and fast. The grass was long, coming up to his knees and tickling his legs as he sprang through the field. It was bright outside, the sun shining down on him warmly. He held his arms out as he ran, enjoying the wind blowing on his skin. The field was large. It took him a long time to run from one side to the other, but he didn't get tired. He loved this field. It was next to the park where the rive court was and it seemed like the only place that hadn't been touched by Tree Hill construction or house-building projects yet. It was empty and he loved it. When he reached the other side of the field, stopped. He found himself at the edge of the forest. It looked sinister and he heard voices, whispering. So he turned and walked back through the field, where it was pleasant. He looked at the flowers, took it all in.

It was quiet and peaceful.

That was until he heard his mother's voice.

"Jamie!" She said, her voice joyful. He turned, but didn't see her. Where was she? His heart pounded and he spun around, but she still wasn't there.

He started running, looking for her. "Mama!" He called, wondering where she was. Or where she had gone. As he ran, he tripped over a stick lying in the grass and just before he hit the ground, he shut his eyes and braced for impact.

But it never came.

When he opened his eyes, he was in his bed and his mom was standing in the doorway.

"Good morning, buddy." She said as she walked in and kissed his forehead. "Now get dressed, you're coming to the studio with me today. Aunt Peyton says she has news."

Jamie buried his head in his pillow and let out a loud, dramatic groan. "But mama, it's the first day of summer, don't I get to sleep in?" He asked, looking up at her.

His mother smirked and shook her head, "Alright fine. If you want to sleep in, go ahead. I was gonna go get some donuts on the way to the studio, but I guess Aunt Peyton and I will just have to eat it all ourselves."

Jamie's head came up slowly and then he pushed himself out of the bed. "Alright you win." HE smiled and started to get himself dressed.

Nathan walked up behind Haley where she stood in Jamie's doorway, "Do you want me to come too? I'd sure love some donuts." He kissed her cheek gently.

Haley turned around and shook her head. "No. I want you to go down to the river court and shoot for a while." She said seriously, gripping his arms.

"Have I ever told you you're the best wife ever?" Nathan kissed her gently.

Haley pulled away and shook her head, "Best wife ever, I like it." She smiled, "I'll bring you home a donut." She said quickly before turning back to Jamie, who had just finished getting ready. "Come on, dork. Let's get going."

Haley took her son's hand and led him out to the car where they both then climbed inside. It took them 20 minutes to get to the studio, counting the time it took them to pick up the donuts.

When they came in, Peyton greeted them warmly. She was obviously in a good mood and Haley wondered if it had anything to do with Lucas, considering it had been a month and a half since Lindsay had left and his car had been parked outside. Maybe he and Peyton were patching things up.

"Hey there!" Peyton said, cheerfully, meeting them by the doorway. She bent down to meet Jamie's eyes, "Jamie! What are you doing here? It's summer, shouldn't you be sleeping right now?" She asked with a grin.

Jamie shook his head, a donut in his hand and all over his face. "I wanted to get up to see you!" He said with a large grin.

Peyton gave Haley a questioning look.

Haley smirked and rubbed Jamie's head, "I bribed him with donuts, but he still wanted to see you though, right Jamie?" She asked, nudging his shoulder.

Jamie nodded quickly, "Yep!"

Peyton smirked and rolled her eyes. "Well that's what I like to hear." She gave him a high five.  
"So Jamie, why don't you go play with Uncle Lucas, he's on the roof waiting for you."

Jamie nodded, grabbed two donuts, one for him and the other for Lucas, and then ran up the stairs excitedly. He loved his uncle.

Haley raised her eyebrows at Peyton. "Why is Lucas here? Something you want to tell me?" She asked.

Peyton shrugged quickly, "He said he wants to give us a try again, but slowly. So we're going out on our second first date tomorrow night. I think it's good. Things have been shaky lately and I just want to be comfortable around him again, you know?"

Haley nodded, "I'm really happy for you, Peyton and I hope things work out." She paused and sat down on the piano. "So is that the news I dragged myself out of bed for?"

Peyton's smile only grew. "No it's not. And I know this might be a lot, but just listen…I have a friend from LA that I was talking to the other day and he asked to hear your album so I sent it to him…and he loved it." She smiled, "It turns out he owns his own huge record label now and wants to sponsor to send you on a short tour over the summer around the US." She said, stifling her excitement. "What do you think?!"

Haley was completely caught off guard by that news. Her first reaction was to be happy. "Oh my god, Peyton! That's awesome, this is such great news." She hugged her friend, but as she did, a new thought crossed her mind:

Nathan and Jamie.

And as they pulled away from each other, Peyton could tell there was something wrong.

Haley stared at her friend, "This is _not_ good news." She sat back, conflicted. "What about Nathan and Jamie? I can't just leave them behind like last time." She paused, looking at the ground. "I can't go on the tour. Family is too important." She decided.

Peyton shook her head. "You don't have to give your family up, Haley. They'll support your decision, plus, it's only three months this time." She pointed out. "I would just hate to see you give up your dream before even talking to Nathan about it."

Haley was still for a moment and then she gave a small nod. "You're right. Can you and Lucas watch Jamie while I go talk to Nathan really quick?" She asked.

Peyton nodded, "Of course."

Haley gave Peyton a thankful look and then rushed out to her car. She drove to the river court in a rush, trying to figure out what she was going to say to him. She knew this was a sensitive subject for their relationship.

When she arrived, Nathan ran up to the hoop and dunked it. She felt a burst of pride, but it was quickly drowned out by her nerves as Nathan spotted her and waved.

She got out and walked to the court, "Hey Michael Jordan, how's it going?"

Nathan bounced the ball to her. "Pretty good. I'm on my way back, I think. Q's been helping me a lot, he's a good kid, you know."

"I know." She clutched the ball, tightly between her hands.

Nathan looked at her. He could read her better than anyone else. "What's wrong?" He asked, stepping closer.

Haley looked up at him. "Don't freak out…"

"Oh god. When you start a sentence like that it makes me want to freak out. You're not pregnant again, are you?" Nathan looked down at her stomach.

"No." She rolled her eyes. "One of Peyton's friends has a huge record label and they want me to go on another tour around the country this summer. And I know that it's short notice and that we don't have anyone to watch Jamie since that crazy nanny left. And I know he's still scared of being alone, but it's okay…whatever. I already kind of told Peyton I couldn't go anyway-"

Nathan took her by the shoulders. "Haley, slow down." He said, meeting her eyes. "Be honest. This rock tour, is it something you want to do?"

Haley looked back at him. "I don't want to leave you again."

Nathan shook his head. "That doesn't answer my question."

"Yes, okay?!" Haley said quickly. "This rock tour, all for me, it's something I've always dreamed about, but it's not worth losing my family over."

Nathan smirked, "Hey, you won't lose us. Haley, you have supported Jamie and I in everything we've done. The least we can do is return the favor."

"But I don't want to leave you."

Nathan shook his head. "You don't have to. It's summer, I'm currently unemployed. We can come with you." He grinned, "We're going on a rock tour!" He stepped forward and embraced her, excitedly.

Haley laughed, "You, Jamie and I are going on a rock tour!" She exclaimed quickly before then realizing something important. She pulled away from Nathan. "Oh no. What about Jamie?"

Nathan creased his eyebrows, "What _about_ Jamie?"

Haley slapped her husband's arm. "Jamie is 5 years old, way too young to be exposed to the kind of stuff you see on a rock tour. We can't go."

"But it's your dream."

Haley sighed. "I have other dreams."

Nathan shook his head, "No I won't accept that. The tour is only three months. We can find someone to watch Jamie."

"Like who? Who has enough time and money to take care of a 5 years old boy?"

Nathan smirked. "Who do we know that has time, credibility, and a whole lot of money?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Brooke."

He nodded.

Haley shook her head. "That'd be perfect!" She exclaimed, "Jamie loves Brooke and Brooke loves Jamie. Plus, she can take him to the store and have Peyton watch when she needs it and she can spoil him so he doesn't miss us. It's perfect!"

Nathan nodded, "We're going on a rock tour!" HE tried again.

Haley embraced him. "We're going on a rock tour!" She repeated, "If Brooke says yes."

That night, after sharing the news with Peyton, Lucas and Jamie, Haley left the studio to go talk to Brooke, bringing Jamie with her in the hopes that his cuteness would help her case.

Haley knocked lightly on the door, but at first there came no reply, just loud talking inside the house, almost yelling. And just as she was about to try the door to see if it was unlocked, the door swung open to reveal a stone-faced Victoria in Brooke's doorway.

Victoria smirked, "Well if it isn't one of Brooke's so-called friends? Here to ask for money? Well I'll have you know-"

Brooke cut Victoria off, walking up behind her. "Mother." She said, spitting the word out like it was trash. "Get out and please, don't come back." She ordered, her voice having a harshness that made her sound chillingly like her mother.

Brooke's mother glanced back at her before stepping out of the house, calmly, past Jamie and Haley with her head held high, as if she was proud of what she had just done.

Brooke stood in the hallway by the door after her mother had gone, eyes swimming. She turned quickly so they wouldn't see. "Sorry about that." She said, voice cracking slightly as she tried to compose herself. She walked into the kitchen and leaned over the counter, her back still to them. "Maybe you guys should come back later."

Haley was about to protest, but before she could, Jamie was walking inside.

He walked over to Brooke, "Aunt Brooke, why are you crying?" He asked, looking up at her.

Brooke turned around and shook her head. "I'm just…sad, Jamie. I'm crying because I'm sad."

Jamie reached up and took her hand in his, "Why?" He asked.

Brooke stared down at him and then glanced at Haley. "Jamie, I want you to know how great your mom is. She loves you so much and she would do anything for you. Don't ever take that for granted, okay buddy?" She said, squeezing his hand.

Jamie nodded and sent a smile in his mother's direction before turning back to Brooke. "I'm sorry your mommy wasn't like mine." He said innocently.

Brooke smiled, a tear falling down her cheek. "Me too." She crouched down and hugged him tightly before pulling away. "Why don't you go upstairs and watch TV while your mommy and I talk for a little bit?" She suggested.

Jamie nodded and ran up the stairs happily. When they heard the door shut upstairs, Brooke and Haley started talking.

Haley sat down in one of the chairs. "What is she doing back in town?" She asked, referring to Victoria because she knew that Brooke had fired her a couple of weeks ago.

Brooke looked down at the ground. "It's nothing. She's just up to her old stuff, like always." She ran her fingers through her hair, frustrated.

Haley looked at Brooke. "Don't do that. It's not nothing. She's a terrible mom to you and whenever she's in town, she tears you apart and that's not okay." She insisted, "What happened?"

Brooke didn't look like she wanted to share, but she did anyway. "She's back to take the company. She wants everything because apparently it was 50/50 between us and if she can convince the board I'm not important, they can drop me." She shook her head. "She said I'm not capable enough to handle the company. And I said if she could admit she was wrong during my childhood and could say that she loved me more than the company, then I'd give her sketches for the new line and we could work 50/50 again. But all she said was whatever."

Brooke let out an exasperated sigh, "All she had to say was I love you and she couldn't."

Haley got up and hugged her friend. "I'm sorry, Brooke. I'm so sorry." She rubbed her back.

When they pulled away, Brooke had composed herself. "Enough about Bitchtoria." She said with another sigh, "What did you need?"

Haley smiled at her for a moment, silently wondering if this was the right time to ask her. Ultimately, she decided it was now or never. "So a label called and they want me to go on a tour."

Brooke opened her mouth to say something, but Haley didn't let her.

"Before you say anything, I talked to Nathan already and he said that he wants to come with me so we won't be apart." She told Brooke happily before getting to the point, "The only problem is that Nathan and I both agreed that rock tour environment is not for kids so Jamie…" She trailed off as Brooke nodded.

"You want me to watch him…" Brooke smiled, "How long?"

Haley smiled, "We would leave at the end of this week and come back exactly three months and two days later. Is that okay?" She asked nervously, fearful that would be a deal breaker with Brooke.

She nodded slowly. "So you're saying that I get three weeks alone to spoil Jamie without tutor mom breathing down my back? Sounds good to me. Does Jamie know yet?"

Haley nodded with a grin. "We told him on the way here. And we brought his bags over too so he can start getting settled."

Brooke creased her eyebrows. "What if I had said no?"

Haley smirked, "Brooke Davis saying no to spending time with her godson? We knew that wouldn't happen."

Brooke laughed, "Well as long as you're okay with him coming to work with me and maybe witnessing World War Davis." She said, "I'll try to keep him away from her as much as I can."

Haley nodded. "Yea. And make sure he doesn't look her in the eyes or he might turn to stone." She joked.

Brooke laughed and nodded. "I'm excited. Let's go get his bags."

They made their way to the door, but it opened before they got there. And in stormed Lucas, Peyton following quietly behind him.

"Come on in." Brooke said, sarcastically. "Look if you and Peyton are looking to get it on right now, there's a kid in the house so find somewhere else. Preferably not on my furniture. I suggest the backseat of a car, it's pretty romantic." She shrugged.

Lucas smirked and shook his head. "Actually, I came to talk about Jamie. I hear he's staying with you because you're his godmother, but can I point out that I'm his godfather so shouldn't I get some time with him?" He asked, looking over Brooke at Haley, but it was Brooke who answered.

"You can have him on weekends or something, how's that?" She asked, giving him an annoyed look.

Lucas shook his head. "As godparents, we should split time with him."

"This isn't joint custody. He's just staying with me for a while. What do you care? Do you think that by the end of three months he'll like me better than you?" Brooke asked, playfully, raising her eyebrows.

Lucas smirked and rolled his eyes, "Uh, you wish." He shook his head, "Look, I just want to be his fun Uncle Lucas, is that too much to ask?" He looked at Haley for an answer.

But Brooke answered again. "You _can_ be his fun Uncle Lucas, on weekends." She smiled.

This argument went back and forth between Brooke and Lucas for a while with Haley and Peyton watching silently. Neither of the godparents were actually mad, but they both weren't backing down either. They argued with teasing and banter, hoping eventually the other would give in, but neither did. And all Haley and Peyton could do was watch. That was until, during a frustrated paused between them, Peyton decided to speak.

"I have an idea."

Brooke looked past Lucas at her friend. "Let's hear it, P. Sawyer."

Peyton stepped forward, "This house has six bedrooms, including the master. We have plenty of room so why doesn't Lucas just stay in a room upstairs for the three months so he can spend time with Jamie? He can help out and take Jamie when you're at work sometimes, plus I'll be here too so I can take him sometimes. They say it takes a village, so why don't we start one?" She smirked.

Brooke looked up at Lucas, narrowing her eyes and then nodding. "I'm okay with it if you are. But you have to buy groceries every other week."

Lucas didn't look pleased. "Why can't we stay at my house?"

Brooke rolled her eyes.

Peyton stepped in again, "Because Jamie goes to your house all the time. He's barely ever been here." She said, "So is it a plan?"

Haley spoke for the first time. "I like that plan." She said, giving Lucas a look.

He nodded, "Fine. Looks like you've got a new tenant, Brooke Davis."

Brooke smirked and nodded, "Two, technically." She said, referring to Jamie. "Guess we have some men in this house, huh?" She chuckled, looking at Peyton.

Peyton nodded and shrugged, "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" She asked.

"Depends on if you play your cards right." Haley said as she walked towards the door to get Jamie's stuff.

* * *

**"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment."**

Buddha

* * *

**A/N: I've been waiting to post this story for a long time. I love One Tree Hill and I hope you guys like it. Please review! Thanks!**


	2. Calm Before The Storm

**"Blessed are the hearts that can bend; they shall never be broken."**

Albert Camus

* * *

"Brooke!" A voice called.

She rolled over in her bed, moaning loudly in the hopes that whoever was at her door would give up and leave her alone.

"Brooke!"

She gulped before replying: "What?!"

"It's Jamie. Aunt Peyton left and Uncle Lucas told me to wake you up. Can I come in?" He asked from outside her door.

Brooke rolled over again, eyes widening. "Oh god." She whispered.

"Who's that?" Owen rolled over to look at Brooke. He creased his eyebrows. "Jamie? Nathan and Haley's kid? What is he doing here?"

Brooke slapped his arm. "Shhhh." She urged, "If he sees you, I'll have to explain why you're in my bed and Nathan and Haley will kill me. Get in the closet." She whispered quickly.

"You're not serious."

She gave him a look.

"Oh my god, you're serious."

Brooke pushed him roughly out of the bed. "I can't mortify Jamie, he's only 5 years old. Plus, I don't even know the birds and the bees speech. When I was 13, my mom bought me birth control and package of condoms and told me not to get pregnant." She said, "Also if Lucas-"

"Brooke!" It was Lucas. "Are you awake?"

Owen's eyes widened. "Why is Lucas here? If he sees me-"

"He'll kick your ass, I know." Brooke said, rolling her eyes. "Get in the closet." She repeated, pushing him in the direction of her closed closet door.

As Owen stumbled to put his boxers on and Brooke wrapped herself sloppily in her bed sheets, they could hear Lucas talking to Jamie outside the door.

"Hey buddy, I'll wake up Brooke, why don't you go to the kitchen? I made some pancakes, they're on a plate on the counter. Eat up." Lucas told him.

"Okay!" Jamie replied and they heard him run down the hall to the kitchen, excitedly.

Inside her room, Brooke was in the process of shoving Owen in the closet when he started asking questions starting with: "Why did you even sleep with me if Lucas is here? I know he told you not to trust me and that I was bad news or something like that."

Brooke smirked and leaned towards him, pressing her body to his. "Let's just say I'm a bad girl who doesn't like to follow the rules." She breathed, her face inches from his.

Owen stared at her, mesmerized. "Still…" He whispered back, only half concentrating on their conversation now.

Brooke pulled away, rolling her eyes again. "Lucas is my friend, not my father."

Owen smirked. "Could've fooled me."

Brooke let out a slight chuckle before pushing him again. "Just get in the closet and be quiet." She whispered.

Lucas knocked again, "Brooke I'm coming in."

Once Owen was all the way in, Brooke shut the closet door quickly and as she was making her way back to the bed, she tripped over the sheets she was wrapped in and fell just in front of the door. Faintly, she could hear Owen chuckling behind the closet door.

"Shut up." She said just before Lucas pushed the door open and walked in to find her on the ground in front of him.

"Brooke?" He asked, confused. "Who are you talking to?"

Brooke looked up, "You." She replied. "What are you yelling about? Can't a girl sleep in sometimes? It is my house." She muttered.

Lucas smirked, "Not when they are the primary owner of a multi-million dollar company and have a mom down at their store snooping around."

"Victoria is at my store?"

Lucas nodded quickly, "Why are you on the ground?"

Brooke stood up , pulling the sheets up too to cover her body. She ignored the question he asked, "My mom is at my store." She repeated, "Oh god. I have to get down there and save Millie. Oh poor Millie." She rambled, looking around, unsure of what to do next.

Lucas walked over to her, "Hey calm down." He said, his voice soft and comforting. "You get ready in there and I'll get your clothes together."

Brooke nodded, "Thanks Luke." She rushed into the bathroom and started brushing her teeth.

Lucas walked further into her room and looked around, "Okay…" He started, "What do you want to wear?"

Brooke took her toothbrush out of her mouth. "Top drawer: black strapless bra and white underwear. Once you get those, there's a blue dress hanging on the door." She said quickly as she reached for her hairbrush.

Lucas looked at her in the mirror as he stood in the doorway behind her, eyebrows raised in amusement. "You sleep naked?" He examined the sheets she was wrapped in and smirked. "Kinky."

Brooke turned around as she ran the brush through her hair. "Down boy, concentrate. Top drawer, strapless bra, white underwear, blue dress."

Lucas smirked and put his hands up in surrender. He then walked to her dresser, easily locating the bra and underwear she had told him about before setting them out on her bed slowly. "So where's the dress? In the closet?"

Brooke's eyes widened, but she had mouth wash in her mouth. She spit it sloppily in the direction of the sink. "No!"

But it was too late.

Lucas pulled the door open to reveal Owen dressed only in boxers with a stupid smile on his face. "Hey Luke…"

Lucas looked from Brooke to Owen and then reared back and punched Owen directly in the face.

Brooke ran over, almost losing her sheets. "Luke!" She stepped between them and put a hand on Owen's back as he spit blood out of his mouth. She turned and glanced backwards, "Oh…not on the carpet." She looked at the spot on the carpet, biting her lip.

Owen covered his mouth with his hand as blood dripped into it. "You're crazy ex-boyfriend just punched me in the face and all you have to say is 'not on the carpet'. He just punched me for god's sakes." He glared at her, "You really are something, Brooke Davis. Can't you just, for one second, stop being an OCD control freak to actually take the time to think about someone else? God, you're just as crazy as this tool." He gestured to Lucas before storming out of the room.

Lucas stepped forward, ready to hit him again as he passed, but Brooke stood in his way and let Owen hobble out.

"I hate that guy."

Brooke glared at him. "What the hell is wrong with you? You are not my father. Why do you care who I do and don't date?"

Lucas shook his head, "Because Owen…I get that you like him, but…"

"But what? What aren't you telling me Lucas?"

* * *

_Lucas was sitting at the bar at Tric. It had been a week since Nathan and Haley left and Lucas had a serious dilemma. Peyton had confessed her love for him and he had just stood there, frozen, completely unsure of what to say. He had said nothing in return, only mumbled something resembling a goodbye and left. The truth was that he did love Peyton, he seriously cared about her, but he wasn't in love with her. The idea of love when his break up with Lindsay was still fresh felt wrong. It was his fault. She had asked if they could give it another try and he had said yes, but he wasn't ready, not yet. And he wished he had told her that. _

_Even when he did start to feel ready again, he wasn't sure that he could be with Peyton. She had turned him down when he was so vulnerable and he just felt like the love he'd had for her back then was gone. And he wasn't sure he could get it back. _

_Lucas sighed, conflicted. He drank his beer, thirstily, waiting for the buzz to kick in. He looked around the bar, it was almost empty. He glanced down at his watch and realized that he should probably leave. He would be in charge of Jamie the next and he didn't want to be hung over too much. He left money at the bar and walked out the door only to see Peyton walking up to him. _

_He cursed inwardly, wishing there was someone around him that he could pretend to be talking to. _

_But he was alone. _

_"Hey Luke…" Peyton said slowly. _

_He smiled a little._

_She nodded. "Still the silent treatment, I get it. And I just wanted to apologize. It was wrong of me to spring my feelings on you like that. I've just been struggling to keep in, you know?_

_Lucas stared at her for a long time and was about to reply when he heard talking around the corner. He looked over just in time to see Owen walking out from the alley way, a brunette girl following closely behind him. They were both in the process of putting their clothes back on sloppily. _

_Owen turned around and kissed the girl behind him roughly, but when he pulled away, Lucas was standing there next to him. He had walked over when he saw the drunk bartender kissing the girl._

_"What the hell are you doing?" Lucas asked, incredulously. _

_Owen looked up, curiously. "Uh…who are you?" He asked, "Listen…if you're a cop, it was consensual, right baby?" _

_She nodded with a laugh. _

_"And I didn't pay for it either. So I'm pretty sure there's nothing illegal going on here." Owen said with a smirk. _

_Lucas shook his head and punched Owen across the face. "I'm a friend of Brooke's, you asshole. What the hell are you doing? You and Brooke are together and you're here with this girl?" He let out an angry chuckle, "You're an ass and I'm going to tell Brooke."_

_Owen pulled Lucas, "Wait no. I love Brooke, I'm drunk, please…" He stared up at Lucas, "I don't know what I'm doing. I made a mistake. Please…give me another chance, I'll be good to her. And wouldn't you rather her be with me than heart-broken and alone because you told her about a drunken mistake I made? Please, come on man."_

_Lucas stared down at Owen, disgusted. He paused before punching Owen another time._

_Peyton grabbed Lucas, "Stop. He's not worth it."_

_Lucas nodded and then they walked away, leaving Owen complaining drunkenly in the alley. _

_"What are we gonna do?" Peyton asked, shaking her head._

_Lucas touched his hand tenderly, his knuckles red from punching Owen. "We have to tell her, are you kidding? That guy is trash and definitely doesn't deserve her."_

_Peyton let out a sigh. "Brooke's been so…closed off lately. And let's be honest, we know that she's not gonna marry Owen. It's a fling for the both of them and him cheating will just hurt her. Why can't we just protect her this time?" She shrugged. _

_Lucas looked at Peyton, realizing her point, "So we lie?"_

_"No. We pretend like we didn't see anything. It's what's best for her. In the mean time, we hate Owen and we make sure she knows he's an ass so hopefully she'll get rid of him herself without all the heartbreak." Peyton said simply. _

_Lucas nodded slowly. "Fine." He agreed, but he wasn't happy about it. So he silently made a pact to himself that every time he saw Owen from then on, he would punch him in the face._

* * *

It had been three weeks since then and Lucas had made his hatred for Owen very obvious, but Brooke didn't back off from him. So when she asked what he wasn't telling her, he came up with the first thing he could think of because if she knew he lied in the first place, she would hate him.

"I…I'm in love with Peyton and I think Owen has a thing for her." He lied, both parts of his statements weren't true.

Brooke shook her head, "He doesn't. Trust me. Brunettes are his type."

_Don't I know it, _Lucas thought.

"But you're in love with Peyton again? That's so sweet! Don't worry about Owen though, I'll keep him extra close just in case you're right." Brooke said with a smile.

Lucas nodded slowly. "Okay." He said even though that was the opposite of what he wanted, "But maybe you should think about Owen. He's kind of a dick. He called you a control freak and then said you were as crazy as me and I'm pretty sure that's an insult. He's a jerk."

Brooke looked at the ground, "I'll think about it." She said softly, "Now get out. I need to go see what Victoria is up to in my store."

Lucas decided to take Jamie to the river court that day. His godson loved going there and Lucas did too, especially at times when he needed to think, like now.

He stood at the three point line with Jamie watching him intently.

_I miss, I tell her. _

_It goes in, I don't._

He closed his eyes and jumped, shooting the ball blindly in the direction of the basket. When he opened his eyes, the ball was going into the basket, but that wasn't the answer he had wanted.

"Nice shot, Uncle Lucas!" Jamie said, getting the ball and dribbling it around. "What's wrong?"

Lucas looked down at Jamie and ruffled his hair. "Why do you think something is wrong?" He asked with a half-hearted smile.

"I just know." Jamie shrugged, "Is this about Aunt Brooke, I heard you guys yelling this morning."

Lucas walked over to the picnic table and sat down, Jamie followed. "Oh, you heard that?" He smirked and shook his head, "Sorry buddy."

Jamie nodded, "It's okay. Was it about Owen?"

Lucas gave him a questioning look, wondering how he could know that.

Jamie explained with a chuckle, "Owen came down the stairs and left, his face was bleeding. Did you hit him?" He asked.

Lucas wasn't sure how to approach this so he did it cautiously, "Yes…I did, Jamie."

"Why?"

He was prepared for that question, "I don't like Owen, Jamie. I don't think he's good enough for your Aunt Brooke. I was trying to protect her, but punching him was wrong. Violence is never the answer, I just got carried away."

Jamie nodded slowly. "But Aunt Brooke seems so happy when she's with him."

"Just because she's having fun doesn't mean he's a good guy. I think she deserves more." Lucas shrugged, "Your Aunt Brooke and I have been through a lot and I just hate seeing her get hurt."

Jamie smiled a little. "Me too."

That was where their conversation ended.

After that, they shot around for an hour or two, talking and joking around until Q came and joined them, playing with Jamie so Lucas could take some time to think. When the sun started going down, they realized they should get back for dinner. So they said goodbye to Q and left.

When they got home, Lucas saw Peyton's car in the driveway: The Comet, he smirked.

When they walked inside, Peyton was sitting at the kitchen counter, her face in her hands. She didn't look up as they came in.

"Hey Jamie, why don't you go upstairs while I talk to your Aunt Peyton?" Lucas suggested, patting his bed.

Jamie nodded and ran up the stairs quickly. He was used to doing these kinds of things when the grown-ups needed their time to do things.

Lucas approached Peyton slowly, "Hey…what's wrong?" He asked, standing across from her.

Peyton lifted her head from her hands and met Lucas' eyes with her own. Her cheeks had obvious tear stains and guilt was painted plainly on her face. "I told Brooke." She said quietly, "I told her everything."

Lucas creased his eyebrows in confusion, "Why? Why now?" He asked.

Peyton sighed and shook her head, "I saw Owen at the bar today with the girl from that night…He had his arm around her and he kissed her on the cheek. I just couldn't let it go on anymore." She said softly.

Lucas nodded slowly. "And what did she do?" He asked.

Peyton shrugged and closed her eyes for a moment, "She said I betrayed her." She sighed, "And that I was one of the only people that she trusted and I ruined it. She said what I did was wrong and that it hurt that I kept it from her for so long. And then she slapped me." She touched her cheek, remembering it.

Lucas bit his lip. "So she's mad, huh?"

Peyton smirked, letting out a nervous laugh. "Yea. She said her mom had been right about me, that I was never her friend and that she couldn't trust me." She paused, "At first she was mostly mad at me and I tried to leave you out of it, but she asked me if you knew and I couldn't lie…I'm sorry."

Lucas nodded and sighed. "We shouldn't have lied in the first place."

"We were protecting her, weren't we?"

Lucas shook his head and looked down at the counter in front of him. "Protecting her by letting her be with Owen? No. We just didn't want her to hurt, but it happened anyway. All we did was postpone it." He ran his fingers through his hair.

"Well…I don't know where she went. After she slapped me, she went to Owen at the bar and slapped him and yelled at him. I'm pretty sure you're next on her list so watch out, Brooke has a mean slap…it stings for a while." Peyton warned.

Lucas nodded, "I deserve it."

And just as he said that, the front door swung open to reveal a soaking wet and very angry-looking Brooke standing in the doorway.

"What happened to you?" Lucas asked as Peyton grabbed a towel from the bathroom and handed it to her.

Brooke snatched the towel, glaring fiercely at Peyton. And as she dried off, she explained. "After I left Tric, I realized I left my keys in Peyton's purse and she had already left." She shot a glare in Peyton's direction. "I didn't call her back because I didn't exactly want to see her again so I walked to me store to see if Millie could give me a ride. But when I got there, Millie was gone and some girl had broken in and was trying to steal some clothes. I tried to stop her, but then Victoria showed up and scared her away before I could even talk to her. And then she offered me a ride home. Halfway here, we got into an argument and she told me to get out of the car. I walked the rest of the way."

They nodded and then Lucas spoke, "Why are you wet?"

Brooke gave him a harsh glare. "Sprinklers." She said before walking angrily past Peyton and Lucas, but he stopped her by grabbing her arm as she tried to pass.

"Hey wait…" He said, "About Owen…" He started slowly.

Brooke froze and slowly, threateningly turned around to face Lucas, obviously livid. "Oh you want to talk about this now, do you?" She asked, a furious smile on her face, "Let's talk then. I don't want to hear apologies or reasons or excuses. I want to know when you saw him with that girl."

They were both silent.

"When?!" Brooke asked again, raising her voice.

It was Peyton who answered from where she was sitting behind Lucas. "Three weeks ago."

Brooke shook her head, eyes swimming. "Three weeks?" She was looking directly at Lucas now because she knew he was usually the one to tell the truth in these kinds of situations. "I saw you both everyday for three weeks and neither of you bothered to tell me?" She glared at them. "Three weeks."

Lucas watched her, seeing her hurt like this tore him apart. Maybe it was because they were close friends or because she was usually so composed or maybe because the three times he had seen her this distraught had all been because of him. "We were trying to protect you." He tried.

Brooke's mouth fell open. "Don't give me that. If you were protecting me then you would have told me." She looked at Lucas, "And this morning…I asked you directly what you weren't telling me…and you…you lied straight to my face." She shook her head, looking back and forth between Peyton and Lucas. "I guess some things never change."

She turned to leave, but Lucas stopped her again. "Brooke-"

Brooke cut him off, "For three weeks, I was in love with a guy who didn't love me back and you both knew that. You let me sleep with a guy who slept with another girl. You both knew. And now…I just feel stupid."

Lucas stepped towards her, "You aren't stupid."

Brooke backed away from him, "Don't do that. It's not going to work this time. I can't…I can't trust either of you anymore. And the only reason I'm not totally going off on you right now is because I know Jamie is still here. That boy is also the reason that the both of you are still allowed in the house." She said, "For the next few months, I will be civil for Jamie, but once he's gone...I want both of you out." She said, mostly looking at Peyton.

"Brooke…" Peyton started.

"Don't." She said angrily. "Do you have any idea how much this hurts me? To know that my friends kept this from me…it hurts so much and I can't…I'm done." She said, "With both of you." She turned, walked down the hall and entered her room, closing the door quietly behind her.

The quiet door closing was even more threatening than a slam because that made Peyton and Lucas both realize how serious she actually was about everything she had just said.

It was silent for a moment and then Lucas turned to Peyton. "Well…this is bad."

Peyton nodded slowly. "But it's been bad before. Maybe we can come back from this like we did before."

Lucas shrugged. "I don't know about it this time, Peyton. She's really hurting."

Peyton sighed heavily, "At least Jamie is here. Maybe he can help her."

"He's going to have to because she won't want to hear from us."

Peyton nodded and stood up, going to the fridge to start dinner even though she couldn't cook. About an hour later when she was finished with the pasta that she'd slightly burnt, she called Jamie down.

He ate hungrily. "How's Aunt Brooke?" He asked through mouthfuls of pasta.

Peyton and Lucas ate on either side of him.

"She's mad right now, Jamie, but not at you." Lucas explained, giving a small smile. "Don't worry about it, everything will be okay."

Jamie looked at his uncle. "You think so?"

Lucas nodded.

They ate quietly after that and just as they finished, Brooke's door opened. She walked out, having changed out of her soaking wet clothes into a new outfit. She smiled when she saw Jamie.

"Hey, Jame." She walked over and ruffled his hair, playfully. "Did you have fun with Uncle Lucas today?"

Jamie nodded happily. "Yep!"

"Good, I'm glad." She said softly.

"Well I'm gonna go out for a little bit so Lucas and Peyton will put you to bed, but how do you feel about coming to work with me tomorrow? Mouth is going to be there doing a story so who knows, maybe you can get on the news?" She smiled.

Jamie nodded excitedly. "Okay!"

Brooke smiled and grabbed her purse off the counter before kissing Jamie's forehead. "See you in the morning, bud." She said before walking towards the front door.

Lucas watched her. "Where are you going?"

Brooke turned to face them, her gaze harsh and cold now that she was looking at Lucas. "The store." She said blankly, "I'm gonna work on some sketches." She said, lowering her gaze so she didn't have to look at them anymore.

"But you don't have a car." Peyton pointed out.

Truthfully, Brooke had forgotten about that, but rather than having to get a ride from one of them, she just nodded. "I could use a walk." She said with a shrug.

Lucas bit his lip. It was 10:00, kind of late to be walking around alone. "Are you sure?"

Brooke was annoyed by their persistent concern. "Yes I'm sure." She said before turning and walking out the door.

Lucas and Peyton put Jamie to bed after she left and then Peyton went to bed too, but Lucas stayed up to wait for Brooke. It was 2:00 in the morning when he finally drifted off even though she still hadn't come home.

The next day, Lucas woke up to find Jamie sitting on the coffee table in front of him.

"Uncle Lucas! You're awake!" He said with a large grin.

Lucas sat up and rubbed his eyes. "What time is it?" He mumbled groggily.

Jamie looked down at his small watch that his parents had gotten him, "2:10." He stated with a smile.

Lucas nodded slowly. "Where's your Aunt Brooke? Is she home?" He was concerned because she never came home the night before.

Jamie shook his head.

Lucas bit his lip. "Alright come on. Let's go for a walk and see if we can find her." He walked over to the kitchen counter and picked up Peyton's purse, which she had forgotten, and pulled Brooke's keys out so he could pick up her car for her.

And then they left.

With Jamie, he walked across town to Tric where they looked for Brooke and visited Peyton in the studio, giving her the purse that she had forgotten at home.

"Have you seen Brooke? She didn't come home last night." Lucas said quietly as Jamie talked to Mia.

Peyton bit her lip and nodded slowly, "I saw her this morning." She said softly, "She…she was outside her store with these huge sunglasses on…I couldn't really see her face, but…"

Lucas stared at her expectantly.

"Lucas, she was throwing all her clothes out." Peyton said, shaking her head. "Everything, she was just ripping it off the hangers and off the manikins and throwing it out the front door and onto the curb. She wouldn't listen to me when I told her to stop so I had to fight off three crazy girls to get most of it back." She pointed to the pile of folded clothes a few feet away. "She loved those clothes."

Lucas looked at the clothes solemnly, "Why didn't you call me?"

"I forgot my purse at home. I figured I would see you eventually…" Peyton shook her head.

Lucas gulped. "I'm gonna go check her store."

Peyton nodded, "Let me know."

"Sure." Lucas replied before he and Jamie got into Brooke's car and drove it down to the Clothes Over Bros store, but surprisingly it was closed. The lights were off and it was dark, but Lucas could see two figures inside. Both of their backs were turned, but he could tell the brunette was Brooke because he recognized the clothes. The other person was blonde, be he couldn't tell who it was. They were talking and Lucas didn't want to interrupt so as quietly as he could, he knocked.

The blonde came to the door and Lucas finally recognized her: Deb.

She pulled the door open a crack. "Sorry guys, the store is closed."

Lucas tried to see past her. "Well I just came to see Brooke." He said in the hopes that Deb would let him talk to her.

But she shook her head. "Now is not a very good time. What did you need? Maybe I can help." She suggested.

Lucas shook his head. "Can you just give these to Brooke?" He handed her the keys. "And tell her that I'm so sorry…for everything."

Deb nodded, shut the door, locked it again and then went back over to Brooke.

Jamie was chuckling when Lucas turned back around.

"What?" He asked, hand on the back of his head.

Jamie smiled even wider. "You like Aunt Brooke."

Lucas tilted his head. "I do?"

Jamie nodded quickly. "Yep! I can tell."

Lucas shook his head. "I'm sorry, bud, but your Aunt Brooke and I are just friends."

Jamie rolled his eyes. "But you're doing the hair thing."

Lucas looked down at Jamie. "What hair thing?"

He sighed. "When you're thinking about a girl you like, you mess with your hair. You used to do it with Lindsay and then with Aunt Peyton and now Aunt Brooke." He said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Dude, you need to pick one."

Lucas stared at Jamie, dumb-founded. "Listen Jamie, I do not have feelings for your Aunt Brooke." He said firmly.

"Not yet, but you're thinking about her." Jamie said.

Lucas shook his head, laughing. He was about to reply when his phone rang.

Jamie watched his expression change from one of amusement to one of worry. He didn't say anything to the person who was calling, just listened. And he hung up without saying goodbye.

"Who was that, Uncle Lucas?"

Lucas looked down at him. "Come on, let's go sit down." He said and few minutes later, Jamie's world would be turned upside down.

* * *

**"In the little world in which children have their existence, whosoever brings them up, there is nothing so finely perceived and so finely felt, as injustice."**

Charles Dickens

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks so much for the reviews! I'm excited to see what everyone thinks about these upcoming chapters. If you have any questions, ideas, thoughts, anything, just message me. I'm open to anything. And please review! I love reading what everyone has to say.


	3. In Too Deep

**"That was the thing. You never got used to it, the idea of someone being gone. Just when you think it's reconciled, accepted, someone points it out to you, and it just hits you all over again, that shocking."**

Sarah Dessen

* * *

"Q is dead." Peyton said, her eyes blank.

Brooke bit her lip and shook her head, "Oh no. Did Lucas tell Jamie?" She asked, concerned.

Peyton nodded. "Jamie doesn't really understand, but I called Nathan and Haley and they're talking to him right now. The funeral is Friday and Jamie really wants to go." She said, looking down at her hands.

"What do Nathan and Haley think?"

Peyton shrugged. "They said we could take him, but to be careful about it."

Brooke nodded slowly. "We will."

They both looked up as Lucas walked down the stairs, but before he said anything about Jamie, he saw Brooke.

"Where the hell have you been? It's been two days since you've been home." Lucas said, approaching her, but as he got closer, he saw the bruises. "Brooke…what happened to you?" He reached out to touch her face, but she pulled back.

"I came home during the day yesterday to avoid you two and I got tangled into some laundry and fell down the stairs." Brooke said with an annoyed shrug. "How's Jamie doing?"

Lucas shrugged and ran his fingers through his hair. "I think he understands now and he seems sad. He could use a talk from his Aunt Brooke." He said.

She nodded and walked up the stairs.

Lucas watched her, wishing that he could have one of her famous talks too. Whenever he was sad, she had always been so good at comforting him. There was just something about the looks she gave him that made him feel safe. And right now, with this loss looming over him, she was the only person he really wanted to talk to.

But he'd ruined it.

"You okay?" Peyton asked, rubbing Lucas' arm.

He nodded slowly. "No. But I will be."

Brooke knocked lightly on Jamie's door to find that he had finished talking to his parents and was lying flat on his bed, holding his cape in his hands.

"Hey buddy." She sat down on the bed next to him.

He didn't look at her. "Hey…"

Brooke looked at his cape. "Are you thinking about him?" She asked, gently touching the cape.

"Yea…" Jamie said quietly, "My mom said one day we could make one of these for Q." He looked down at the cape sadly.

Brooke looked at her godson, this taking everything in her not to cry. She wanted so badly to break down, but she wouldn't. Jamie needed her. "You know…if you still want to, I can help you make that cape. I'm sure Q would love it."

Jamie looked at her for the first time since she'd came in, "You'll help me make one?"

Brooke nodded. "And do you know why?"

Jamie shook his head.

"Because that boy was a hero. This year, he started out as a student in your mother's class and everyone thought he was reckless, hopeless, unfixable and selfish. But do you know what he did? He proved them wrong. Without guidance, he proved that he was something. He aided your father's comeback, he became your friend and he was the leader of your Uncle Lucas' team." Brooke paused, "He turned himself around and not many people can do that."

Jamie smiled a little bit and hugged Brooke.

She hugged him back, taking that moment to finally let a few stray tears slide down her cheeks.

That Friday, all four of them attended Q's funeral.

It was sad, but beautiful and after all the people cleared out, Brooke stayed with Jamie. He pulled out the cape that Brooke had helped him and laid it across the casket. "You were a hero, Q."

Brooke watched in silence. This death, her attack, her mother, the company, facing everything alone…it was getting to her. Without wanting to or even intending to, she broke down. The bruises weren't fresh anymore, but the fear and the anger that she was carrying around was paralyzing.

Jamie didn't look at her or judge her, he just reached up and took her hand.

They stood there together for a long time until finally she took him home. He ran upstairs with Peyton when they got home and Brooke headed straight to her room, closing her door behind her.

She laid down in her bed and let the tears fall down her cheeks silently until finally she fell into the bittersweet release of sleep.

Peyton came back downstairs after Jamie was in bed to find Lucas alone on the couch. "Where's Brooke?"

Lucas looked up. "She went to her room." He said softly.

Peyton sat down beside him and watched as he let tears fall down his cheeks. She put her arm around him comfortingly. "It's gonna be okay…" She whispered.

Lucas leaned against her, but again wished that he could talk to Brooke.

Maybe someday he could.

Just not today.

Three days of chilling silence later, Brooke finally spoke to Peyton and Lucas. They both noticed how her face had slightly healed how she could finally open her eyes fully again. They also noticed how those eyes also didn't seem to shine as bright.

"I'm going to New York for a few days." She told them, her voice lacking its usual charisma.

Peyton nodded. "For the business?"

Brooke nodded in response. "I told Jamie already and I'll be back on Tuesday. Call if there are any problems with the house or with Jamie."

They both nodded.

"Be safe." Lucas added.

Brooke looked at him for a moment, gaze unreadable and then picked up her bags and left, abruptly.

The flight to New York had been bumpy, they had to fly through a thunderstorm to land, which Brooke though was fitting considering the hell she was about to go through seeing her mom.

Once on the ground, Brooke was swarmed by the press, all asking where she'd been and if the company was changing ownership. She kept her head down and sunglasses on so no reporters would see, mumbling "no comment" before getting into a cab.

She rode to her mother's house and knocked on the door.

Victoria answered, looking surprised to see her daughter. "Brooke. What are you doing here? And what happened to your face?"

Brooke didn't answer. She walked into the house and set her purse down before slowly pulling out the gun Deb had showed her house to use. Calmly, she set it down on the table and sat down.

Victoria sat too. "What are you doing with that?" She asked warily.

Brooke pointed down at it and sat back in her chair, as relaxed as ever. "Now's your chance. Just aim low, I want to look good at my funeral." She said, glaring at her mother.

"What are you talking about?" Victoria asked, completely confused.

"I know what you did."

Victoria raised her eyebrows. "What did I do?"

"You wanted my company. And you needed my sketches to get it so you thought you'd just send someone to get them, didn't you?" Brooke asked, pointing at her face. "I was attacked in the store, mother and the man took my sketches and wrecked everything right after you said you were taking my company back. Coincidence?"

"You think I did this?" Victoria smirked.

Brooke shook her head, "I know you did this. This kind of thing had Victoria written all over it."

Victoria stood up and poured herself a drink. "Oh Brooke, I would never physically harm you." She said.

Brooke raised an eyebrow, "Are you saying you didn't do it?"

Victoria chuckled slightly. "You know, Brooke, when I was your age I would have killed for a company like this, for an opportunity like this." She said, eyes cold.

Brooke stood up. "That's funny because all I ever wanted as a kid was your love. And I had to fight for it. I had to claw and to scratch to get you to notice me. Isn't there something wrong with that?"

Victoria sighed. "Don't let love ruin your life, Brooke. I was on my way to owning my own company when I stupidly fell in love. About a year later, I got pregnant, but I didn't want children. That never the plan. But your father desperately wanted a son so when we had out little baby girl, I made sure I never got pregnant again. If I couldn't have my dream, he couldn't have his." She sighed. "I might have taken it out on you a little bit too much along the way."

Brooke stared at her, completely crushed on the inside, but calmly composed on the outside. She'd always thought her mom didn't want her or like her, but having her say it out loud just made it a lot more real than she had ever wanted.

Brooke stood up. "Well I'm sorry then. I guess I'll stop getting in the way of your dream." She walked towards the door. "Tomorrow, I'm calling the lawyers and divesting all my interests in Clothes Over Bros." She pulled the door open. "Congratulations Victoria, now you have a company and no daughter."

Brooke walked out the door and shut it quietly, walking to the sidewalk and hailing a cab.

Once inside, she lost it. Tears streamed down her cheeks freely as she looked out the windows at the people rushing through the streets. Someday, she promised herself, she would become the mother that Victoria never was to her.

The cab stopped.

Brooke paid the fare and then got out, walking into her apartment building and up to her old apartment. Once inside, she found herself angry, so angry at her mother that she just picked up a mug sitting on the counter, a mug with Clothes Over Bros printed on it. She stared at it for a moment and then threw it against the wall. A picture of herself quickly followed, along with a few more bowls and cups, her phone and lastly, her lamp.

Then, as she finished and stared at the glass chaos in front of her, she sunk to the ground and put her head in her hands.

But she didn't cry.

She felt cold on the inside, hollow.

She felt like she was becoming Victoria. But before she could travel any further with those thoughts, someone knocked on her door. That confused her, the person at the desk usually called her first and asked her if people could come up, but she hadn't gotten a call.

So, because of her attack, she immediately became suspicious. Slowly, cautiously, she approached the door. "Who is it?" She called.

No answer.

Heart pounding, she picked up a long umbrella she had sitting by the door and then slowly pulled it open, holding the umbrella tightly in her hand.

But when she opened the door, it wasn't her attacker.

It was Lucas.

He put his hands up when he saw the umbrella. "Woah, hey. I'm a friend." He smirked, "Put that thing away."

Brooke didn't smile. She glared at him and set the umbrella down. "What are you doing here?"

Lucas stared at her, "I thought you would be happy to see me." He examined the tear stains on her cheeks, "What's wrong?"

Brooke shook her head, "I can't do this. Not with you. Go stay in a hotel." She started to shut the door, but he put his hand out and stopped it.

Lucas forced the door open and looked at her. "Brooke, come on."

Brooke shook her head. "How did you even get up here?"

Lucas smirked, "I told the desk guy that we were old friends and that you were mad at me so he shouldn't tell you I'm here." He shrugged. "And then he asked for proof so I showed him that picture of you, me and Peyton from junior year and he let me in." He pulled the picture out of his pocket and showed her.

She knew that picture.

"I tore that up." She said, coldly.

Lucas bit his lip. "Just because of the Owen thing?"

Brooke smirked. "No I did it junior year because of the Peyton thing. You two always think lying will protect me. It hurts even more to know you were both keeping it from me. Of all the hurt and betrayal in my life, half of it's been from you. So why would I want you here? Why, of all people, would I want you at my doorstep?" Brooke sighed and when he didn't have an answer, she continued. "Get out."

"No." Lucas said firmly. He could tell she was in a bad place and he didn't want her to be alone.

Brooke glared at him. "I want you to leave." She said, anger coming over again. She pushed him. "Just get out, Lucas."

He didn't budge.

"Go away! Get out!" She pushed him harder.

Lucas grabbed her wrists.

"Brooke…" He said.

She struggled, pulling herself out of his grasp and then pushing him again.

"Brooke stop!"

She pushed him again.

He grabbed her, put his arms around her and pulled her to his chest. But she still struggled and tried to push him away, until finally she just relaxed. And then the tears came, slowly and quietly at first and then sobs, heart-wrenching sobs.

Lucas held her tightly. He had not been expecting this. Slowly, he brought her over to the couch and let her cry on his chest. It wasn't until about 15 minutes later that she was done and he got the chance to talk.

"You didn't come up here for business, did you?" He asked, stroking her hair gently.

Brooke didn't answer.

But Lucas knew it had to do with her mother. She was the only person that could break her. "Brooke, don't let her break you like this. She's not worth it, okay? You turned out the way you did in spite of her and all her efforts. You are not your mother, Brooke Davis."

She let out a shaky breath.

Lucas looked down at her. "What is it?"

Brooke slowly sat up so she could look him in the eyes. "That night…when I didn't come home, it wasn't because I was avoiding you." She said softly. "I was attacked."

Lucas was surprised by that. He looked at the bruises on her face and her arm and cursed himself for not figuring it out earlier. "What happened?" He asked gently.

Brooke looked down at her hands. "I walked to the store and as I was closing up, someone ran in and attacked me. He hit me over and over again until I couldn't get up." She paused.

"He didn't…?" Lucas trailed off not wanting to say the word.

Brooke shook her head. "No. He just attacked me. And then was he was finished with me he…he wrecked my store, all the clothes, the computer, the cash register, everything and then…he stole the sketches for my new line and left." She explained blankly, "I just…" Her voice trembled.

Lucas put his arms around her. "Hey, it's okay. You're okay." He said.

Brooke shook her head again. "He took everything from me." She said quietly. "And it was right after Victoria said she was taking back the company."

Lucas' eyes widened. "You think Victoria did this?" He asked.

Brooke nodded.

"Brooke, your mom is crazy, but she's not a psychopath."

She shook her head. "He stole sketches. She knew if I went to the meeting without them, then it would look like I wasn't an asset."

Lucas sighed and rubbed her back. He noticed her flinched. "I'm so sorry, Brooke."

She took in a deep breath, "Me too." She whispered, leaning against him.

Lucas stroked her hair and they sat like that in silence for a long time until he spoke again. "So you came up here to confront Victoria?" She nodded.

"And?"

Brooke shrugged, "She said she didn't do it. But I don't believe her. It doesn't matter anymore I guess because she basically told me he never wanted me and I just signed the company over to her."

Lucas was surprised. "Is that really what you want to do?"

"No. But I never want to see my mother again so it's what I have to do." Brooke sighed. "I was never good enough for her. And I never will be."

Lucas looked down at her. "Hey." He said, getting her attention. "You are good enough. Actually, you're better than good enough. Brooke Davis, you are extraordinary. And don't you ever, ever let anything convince you that you're not."

Brooke cracked a small smile. "Thanks Lucas. You're always there for me." She paused, "And I'm sorry for what I said earlier."

"It was the truth." Lucas said. "I'm sorry for everything."

Brooke shrugged, "It's over now. I forgive you…and Peyton. I just really need friends right now."

Lucas nodded, "Well we're here."

Brooke smirked, "You're here."

"Technically, _we're _here."

Brooke tilted her head, "What?"

Lucas smiled. "Peyton and Jamie are here too, but the desk guy would only let one of us up without calling so I told them I would go up and get you to call the desk for them." He said, chuckling.

"Luke! It's been like an hour!" She got up and walked to the intercom. "George, is there someone in the lobby waiting for me?"

"Yes. A Peyton Sawyer and a Jamie Scott?"

"Send them up."

Pause.

"Ms. Davis, the woman says she wants to talk to you."

Brooke smiled a little, "Alright, go ahead."

Peyton's voice came on the intercom, "Really, guys? An hour? Jamie and I are starving so you better have some food up there for us to eat."

"Just get your skinny butt up here, P. Sawyer."

Peyton let out a hearty laugh. "Oh you won't be calling me skinny after I eat everything in your fridge."

* * *

**"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."**

Mahatma Gandhi

* * *

**A/N: **The next chapter is a big one so get ready, I'm really excited to post it. Thanks for all the continued support and please keep reviewing, I love reading what everyone has to say. Thanks again!


	4. Breathe

**"How often have I lain beneath rain on a strange roof, thinking of home."**

William Faulkner

* * *

After three days in New York, sight-seeing, the trio decided that it was time to head back to Tree Hill, their home. They booked two flights for the following night. New York to Charlotte and then a connecting flight from Charlotte to Tree Hill. The next night, they all prepared to leave.

"Do you have everything you brought, Jame?" Brooke asked, looking around the apartment for anything he might have left behind.

Jamie nodded, holding his bags in his arms. "I have everything."

Brooke nodded slowly, doubtfully. She felt like he was forgetting something. "Okay…" She said cautiously, "but if you forget something, we're not coming back, got it?"

Jamie nodded, flashed her a smile and then walked out the door with Peyton and Lucas following, but Brooke lingered in the doorway, looking back inside the apartment.

She wondered if now that she was losing the company, that she would lose everything else too, like her new apartment and abundant supply of money.

_Probably, _she thought sadly.

She stared at the marks on the wall where she had thrown the bowls and pictures and cups. She bit her lip, thinking about it, the anger that she'd felt towards Victoria and towards herself for thinking that she could trust her mother. She shook her head, she should have been able to.

Lucas appeared in the doorway behind her. "Are you alright?"

Brooke nodded with a sigh.

"Do you ever wish that this was your life again?" Lucas asked curiously, looking over her stylish apartment and out the large windows with the breath-taking view of the night time New York skyline.

"Not for a second." She answered, almost immediately.

Lucas was surprised by that. "But you had it all."

Brooke shrugged and stared over her empty apartment. "Not everything." She said quietly, "The fame, the money, the nice things, my mother…I don't know if it was worth the loneliness that came with it."

Lucas nodded and put his arm around her, rubbing her arm reassuringly. "Well Tree Hill will always be home." He told her.

Brooke smiled, nodded and then turned, making her way out the door with Lucas by her side. She shut the door behind them and locked it, wondering if that would be the last time that she did.

That night, at 5:00, they boarded their flight. It was supposed to be a 2 hour flight, but once they got up in the air, the pilot informed them that there was a huge storm rolling into the Charlotte area and that they were going to land in southern Virginia to avoid it.

When they landed, their flight to Charlotte was cancelled and all the flights anywhere close to North Carolina or South Carolina were cancelled. Apparently there was a tropical storm coming through.

"So what do we do now?" Peyton asked as they stood in the airport, unsure of where to go next.

Lucas sighed and shrugged, "Well we could either spend the night here and hope to get a flight tomorrow or…rent a car and drive?"

Jamie jumped up when he heard that. "Road trip!" He exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air, excitedly.

Brooke looked down at him and shrugged. "Yea and why not? Lucas gets first shift driving." She said as she started to walk to the car rental area.

Lucas followed with a shake of his head.

Thirty minutes later, they were on their way in a new Honda Civic. It was nice, black with a lot of leg room, especially in the back.

Lucas and Peyton sat in the front while Jamie and Brooke sat in the back, he fell asleep on her lap and she fell asleep leaning against the window.

"They're so cute." Peyton said quietly as she looked back at Brooke and Jamie sleeping in the backseat. And then she turned back around and looked at Lucas. "So now…is the perfect time to talk." She said, sounding nervous.

Lucas glanced at her, eyes concentrated on the long stretch of road ahead of them. "About us?" He guessed. That was all they ever talked about anymore and to him, it seemed very redundant.

Peyton nodded apprehensively, moving her hands anxiously in her lap. "It's been a week." She stated.

Lucas nodded slowly in response, "Since you kissed me…" He said blankly, having any emotion during this conversation didn't seem like a good idea. "I still don't have anything new to say about it." He shrugged.

Peyton looked at the ground in front of her. "You said you were willing to give us another try and that's what we're going to do, right?" She asked before continuing on without waiting for his answer. "I just feel like I'm putting more effort into it then you are."

Lucas squinted to see through the pouring rain they were driving through. Slowly, he replied. "I still feel like it's too early. My marriage fell apart because my fiancé said I was meant to be with you." He muttered. "I believe in fate, but…thinking that I'm meant to be with _one_ person, someone that I already know, it just feels like I don't even have a choice. And I want a choice."

Peyton looked at him, hurt, like she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "We _are_ meant to be together, Lucas. We've been through so much, you and me. We're supposed to end up together."

Lucas shook his head. "But how do you know? What about Jake? When you were with him, didn't you feel like you were supposed to be together then? I think that feeling is just something that comes when you're really in love with someone…"

Peyton bit her lip. "And you don't feel that with me anymore?"

Lucas shrugged, not sure if there was a 'right' answer to this question so he just avoided it completely. "You know what I loved about us?" He asked. "How we used to laugh and how we used to be able to talk to each other about anything and how I felt like the odds were against us and we were facing the world together. Now, I just have this voice in the back of my head saying you're meant to be with her, you're meant to be with her. And that's a lot of pressure. Now, we don't face the world together anymore. It's like we're playing it safe and being with who we're "supposed to end up with". Well, I don't like that. I liked the spontaneity and the feeling of not knowing, didn't you?"

Peyton nodded slowly. "I did." She said softly. "But we're adults now and our futures need to be thought about sometimes."

Lucas let out a sigh. "We used to have so much fun together and now…" He trailed off, shaking his head disappointedly.

Peyton let out a frustrated sigh. "All I know is that I'm in love with you, Lucas. You can't help who you love and I'm just…I'm so in love with you that it hurts." She said, tears coming to her eyes.

Lucas stared forward and then, looked at her. "I just don't feel the same right now, Peyton. I'm sorry." He paused, "Can we just try to be friends for a little while?"

Peyton looked out the windshield. It was pouring heavily and she could barely even see the road stretching in front of them, but it felt fitting for the conversation they were having. Slowly, quietly, she replied. "Sure." She looked out the window.

It was awkwardly silent for a few minutes until Lucas broke it, squinting at the road. "It's getting pretty hard to see. I say at the next exit we stop for the night." He said.

Peyton nodded silently, still thinking about their previous conversation.

"Are you gonna be quiet for the rest of the trip? C'mon Peyton, I care about you…I just need some time for myself and I think you do too. So can we skip the awkward part and just be friends again?" Lucas asked with a smile.

Peyton smirked and gave a shrug, deciding that was probably the best option for them right now. "I guess we can. It's just hard to forget what we had, you know?"

Lucas smiled a half-hearted smile. "You don't have to forget, but we shouldn't dwell on what we used to have either. We have to move forward, not backwards."

Peyton nodded slowly and looked forward at the barely visible road in front of them, changing the subject. "It _is_ getting pretty bad, huh?" The rain was swirling through the sky, pounding down on their car. She was surprised Jamie and Brooke hadn't woken up from the loud rain droplets beating down on the windows.

Lucas nodded, eyes glued to the road. In all honesty, he was too afraid to look away. "And I haven't seen an exit in a while." He said, leaning forward. There were large puddles pooling on the sides of the road and every time he hit one, the car skidded across it. Being the driver, Lucas was nervous. He gripped the steering wheel tightly in his hands.

Peyton sighed, staring ahead. "Well just go slow." She said, glancing back at Jamie and Brooke in the back. Maybe it was better they were asleep. This drive was pretty nerve-wracking.

Lucas smirked as he glanced down at his speedometer. "I'm going 35, Peyton, I don't think we're going to start hydroplaning just yet."

"Living in the slow lane, Scott?"

Lucas laughed and nodded, "Always."

Peyton looked forward with a smile, watching the road. She wasn't sure how Lucas was driving in this, it was a complete downpour. She could only see a few yards in front of them so Lucas had to be guessing where the road was at this point. "Maybe you should put the hazards on."

Lucas nodded and looked down at the dashboard, wondering where the button for the hazards was on this car. But as he did and Peyton looked back up at the road, she saw something.

A deer.

Wide-eyed, soaked and completely frozen in the middle of the road.

"Lucas, watch out!" Peyton shouted, pointing at the road.

When he looked up, the deer was directly in front of them so he swerved to the left, but as he did, he accidentally clipped a car that was going in the other direction and skidded uncontrollably across the road until the driver's side of the car collided with a tree.

And then there was blackness, he wasn't sure for how long, but when he finally came to, they were stopped.

Lucas took in a deep breath, just to make sure that he still could. He looked up, the windshield was cracked and rain water was dripping into his lap. He blinked, realizing what had just happened. They'd just crashed. He glanced to his right and saw that his door was blocked by a tree so he couldn't get out. Slowly, his neck sore, he turned and looked around the car, "Is everyone okay?" He looked over at Peyton, who was squirming. Her window was broken and she was covered in glass.

"I'm okay." She said quietly, brushing the glass off of her lap as gently as she could.

"How long have I been out?" Lucas asked as he looked to his left and saw that his window was broken too, he hadn't even noticed that before. He looked down. There was glass in his lap. Carefully, he brushed it off and tried to turn around to check Brooke and Jamie, but his seatbelt was jammed.

Peyton looked over at him, "A couple minutes, maybe longer…I don't know." She said, her lip bleeding from a large gash that he guessed was from accidentally biting her lip during the accident.

Lucas nodded, still struggling against the seatbelt that was tight against his chest. "Brooke? Jamie?"

No answer.

Peyton squirmed, undoing her seatbelt. She turned and looked into the backseat. "You guys okay?" She asked, eyes scanning the scene in the back.

Lucas read Peyton's expression, as he listened for their answer. He could see that she looked concerned and a little panicked. He assumed that it didn't look good.

There was still no answer when Peyton asked her question, but he could hear some kind of movement. He was going to ask Peyton what was going on when he finally heard a reply come from someone back there.

Well, more of a moan. "Ahh….I'm okay."

It was Jamie.

Peyton looked back at him, "Are you hurt?" She asked, looking him over for any injuries.

Jamie moved slightly and let out a breath. "My arm…" He said softly, "I hurt my arm."

Peyton nodded slowly, "Alright well…try not to use it or move it too much, okay? Can…can you…" She struggled to get the words out, staring into the backseat, her face pale.

"What is it, Peyton?" Lucas asked, looking at her. He struggled against his seatbelt. He suddenly felt claustrophobic, he was trapped in this car and the seatbelt was squeezing his body into the chair. He had to get out.

Peyton ignored Lucas and kept her eyes on Jamie. "Can you…check your Aunt Brooke please?" She asked, her voice shaky. She turned to Lucas as Jamie moved in the backseat, "Lucas she's not moving and…I can't see her face." She shook her head, eyes wide.

Lucas struggled even harder against the seatbelt.

Jamie leaned over Brooke, she was turned on her side towards the door of the car. The tree had impacted the car right where her window had been…the window that she had been leaning against when she fell asleep. Tenderly, to avoid using his left arm, he moved her so that he could see her face.

Peyton watched and bit her lip as Jamie moved her.

"What?" Lucas asked, wishing that he could see what was going on back there. He struggled even more, but it didn't seem like it was helping.

They could both hear Jamie in the backseat. "Aunt Brooke." He tried, his usually optimistic voice tainted with panic and concern.

A few moments passed.

"Aunt Brooke, wake up." Jamie's voice started sounding desperate.

Lucas tried to block him out, "Peyton can you get your door open?" He asked over the sound of the pouring rain against the windshield.

Peyton moved and tried to get the door open. At first, she couldn't, but after a few seconds of trying and pushing, it finally came open. Slowly, sorely she got out of the car and tried to open the back door. That also took a few tries and she was standing in the pouring rain, but eventually she was able to get it open too.

"Come here, Jamie." She reached out and helped Jamie out of the car. "I want you to get in the front seat where I just was and try to help your Uncle Lucas get free, okay?"

Jamie looked at Peyton, eyes wide with shock. "She won't wake up."

Peyton looked from Jamie to Brooke, who was still limp. "I know, buddy. Don't worry, I'll help her. Now go try to help Lucas, alright? It's gonna be okay." She promised.

Jamie nodded and climbed into the front seat where Peyton had just been and looked at Lucas, "How do I get you out?" He asked, looking at the seatbelt that he was struggling against.

Lucas looked at Jamie, thinking. "In the glove compartment, there's a…switchblade. Can you get that out for me?" He asked, nodding to the compartment that he was talking about. He bit his lip, itching to get back there and help Brooke.

Jamie reached forward and opened the compartment, searching through the papers for a few moments until he found the switchblade and slid the knife out. He handed it to Lucas, hand shaking.

Using it, Lucas easily cut himself free from the seatbelt. Faintly, over the rain, he could hear Peyton in the backseat trying to wake Brooke up just like Jamie had. He turned around to look at them.

Peyton was sitting next to Brooke, shaking her head, saying her name over and over again, while Brooke was just limp against the window, a thin line of blood sliding down her forehead.

Lucas looked at Jamie, "Alright bud, I need to get out. Can you open the door and climb out so I can follow you, I don't think my door will open." He pointed to Jamie's door.

Jamie nodded and opened the door, climbing out into the rain. He waited there as Lucas climbed over the middle of the car and out into the rain. "Okay. Now, get back in the front seat and wait there while I try to help your Aunt Brooke, okay?"

Jamie obeyed silently.

Lucas opened the back door and sat down next to Peyton, looking at Brooke, who was still unconscious. "What's wrong with her?" He asked, heart-pounding.

Peyton shook her head, "I think she hit her head, Lucas. She won't wake up…I…I read somewhere that if she's unconscious for too long, there can be brain damage and she...she might not be able to wake up at all." She said, her voice shaking, "Lucas…she has to wake up. I can't..."

Lucas nodded slowly, reaching over Peyton and putting his arms underneath Brooke. In an awkward position, he lifted Brooke over Peyton and out of the car. "Maybe the rain will wake her up." He said as he brought her out.

"Lucas! You're not supposed to move her!" Peyton yelled from the car.

Slowly, carefully, he set Brooke down in the grass and put his hands on either side of her face. The rain poured down on them as he shook her gently. "Brooke…" He said, watching her, expecting her to open her eyes.

She didn't.

"Brooke!" He exclaimed, "Brooke, wake up right now!"

Nothing.

Lucas shook his head. This could not be happening. A few minutes ago, Brooke had been asleep in the back seat of his car and now…she could be dead. What would her parents say? What would Jamie say? No. She wouldn't die.

Not today.

"Brooke! Come back to me." Lucas tried, desperation in his voice as he yelled over the rain that was pounding on the asphalt. "Brooke! Wake up! Brooke! Open your eyes!" Tears streamed down his face along with the rain. He shook his head, not accepting it. He shook her. "Brooke, please! Please!"

And then he saw something.

He'd almost missed it, but as he shook her, he noticed her eyelids flutter slightly.

"Brooke!" Lucas said, his excitement at a peak. "Can you hear me? Brooke?!"

And then weakly, she opened her eyes, blinking extensively through the rain.

Her eyes scanned her surroundings and then met Lucas'. She coughed, staring at him, "What…happened?" She looked down at his hands which were clutched on her jacket, his knuckles white.

Lucas smiled a little bit, "We…uh, we had an accident. The car crashed and you were out for a few minutes. How are you feeling?" He asked, reaching up and moving some wet hair out of her face.

Brooke stared at him for a moment before finally answering, "My head hurts…but, uh…I think I'm alright." She replied, "Why…are we in the rain?" She blinked a few times, looking confused.

He looked up at the sky just as some lightning flashed overhead. "What's wrong with the rain? I like it out here, don't you?" He smirked.

Brooke looked up at him, staring blankly as if she hadn't heard what he said.

"Brooke Davis, I think you have a concussion." Lucas said, shaking his head.

But Brooke smiled up at him, "I don't know…" She said, sounding very out of it. She stared up at him for a moment and reached up, touching his face with her hand. "You saved me…" She said quietly, "You saved her and I always wanted you to save me."

Lucas smiled down at her, watching as he saw the vulnerability in her eyes, the vulnerability that she had trusted him with a few times before, but he had ruined. He loved seeing that in her because she barely ever showed that vulnerable version of herself to anyone.

Distantly, he heard sirens.

"They're coming." He said, leaning over her. He was getting worried, they'd been in the rain for a while. "Are you okay?"

Brooke blinked slowly and shifted slightly. "I'm cold…"

Lucas nodded and pulled his jacket off quickly, setting it over her. He wasn't sure that was going to help though, considering that it was soaking wet too. "They're almost here, alright? Don't worry."

She smiled, eyes locked with his. "I'm not worried."

And then suddenly, in what felt like seconds, ambulances arrived at the scene. Two paramedics rushed out of the vehicle, one went straight to Brooke and Lucas, kneeling down with them while the other went past them to the car.

The paramedic kneeling with Brooke and Lucas started asking questions almost immediately. "Was she ejected from the car?" He asked, looking at the distance between them and the car a few yards away.

Lucas shook his head.

"You moved her then?"

He nodded, "She was unconscious and her head was bleeding, but when I brought her out here she woke up."

The paramedic nodded slowly, "Sounds like a concussion."

"That's what I said."

Brooke let out a small laugh.

The paramedic then turned to Brooke, "Hey there." He said with a smile, "What is your name?" He asked as he pulled out a small flashlight and shined it in her eyes to check her pupils.

Brooke looked from Lucas to the paramedic, "Brooke Davis." She said proudly.

The paramedic nodded, "Brooke Davis. That name sure sounds familiar. My daughter, she worships the ground you walk on." He chuckled, "But can I just say buying a whole new Clothes Over Bros wardrobe kind of makes a hole in my wallet, Ms. Davis."

She smiled, "You can blame my mother for that."

The paramedic smiled and continued his assessment, carefully touching her temples. "Tell me if you feel any pain." He told her as he moved his hands to different parts of her head and neck. "Do you know where you are?"

Brooke looked at him and then scanned her surroundings, "On the side of the road…?"

The paramedic nodded slowly. That answer hadn't exactly been what he was looking for, but it wasn't a huge red flag either. "Do you know how you got here?" He specified.

Brooke blinked a few times, "I…" She glanced at Lucas, squinting, as if trying to remember. "I remember driving, I think I fell asleep…?"

The paramedic nodded, "You were in an accident. Do you remember what happened?"

Brooke fidgeted slightly, "An accident?" She asked, concerned. She had obviously forgotten that Lucas had already told her what happened a few minutes earlier. "A car accident? Is Jamie okay?" She moved her head, "Where's Peyton?"

The paramedic put his hands on either side of her face, "Try not to move, okay?" He said calmly. "You were in a car accident. You don't remember it at all?" He asked.

Brooke's breathing became shallow. "I don't…" She trailed off, "I don't remember."

"Shhh…." The paramedic said, trying to calm her down. "It's alright, try to stay calm." Fear probably wouldn't be the best thing for her right now. He looked at Lucas and nodded down to Brooke, hoping that the other man would be able to help calm her down.

Lucas grabbed her hand and squeezed it, "Hey…" He said, leaning down towards her. "Jamie is fine, his arm might be broken, but other than that he's just worried about his Aunt Brooke." He paused, "And Peyton, she's fine. Scratches and bruises, alright? Just scratches and bruises."

Brooke nodded.

"It's okay." Lucas said, rubbing her arm. "I'm right here, don't worry."

Brooke stared at him and nodded again.

The paramedic then continued to move his hands along her head, hoping to find the point of impact. "Do you feel any pain?" He asked.

Brooke paused and tore her eyes away from Lucas' to think. She bit her lip, "My head hurts and my body…is sore." She said.

The paramedic nodded, still touching her head. "Can you describe the pain in your head? Does it feel like an aching pain? Stinging? Maybe tingling?" He asked.

She took in a deep breath and then answered, "Aching…throbbing, sort of." She answered.

He nodded, "Does it feel like there's pressure in your head?"

Brooke looked at the paramedic, "Yes…" She said, trailing off. "Are we leaving soon?" She asked, her voice getting quieter, "I'm so tired…" Her eyes lulled slightly.

Lucas patted her hand, "Brooke…hey, don't do this. Stay awake, alright?"

The paramedic nodded, "Try to stay awake, Brooke, okay? We're getting ready to move you and then we'll take you to the hospital, alright? Do not sleep, I know you're tired, but just try."

The other paramedic came over, kneeling with them. "What do we got?" He asked.

"Alert, but not completely…coherent. I'm thinking a concussion, could be severe, maybe other damage. Probably whiplash." The first paramedic answered, "We need to get a spine board and get her in a collar just in case. How about you?"

"Broken arm on the kid, arm laceration on the female. Doesn't look too bad. I'll go get the spine board. Fire's on their way to clear the accident. So are the police, they want a statement." The second paramedic looked at Lucas, "Are you hurt?"

He shook his head.

The paramedic nodded, stood up and jogged to the ambulance, coming back with a large human-sized board under his arm and a collar in his hand. Carefully, the two paramedics slipped the board underneath and strapped the collar around her neck.

Lucas clutched her hand as they strapped her down. "I'm right here, you're okay." He told her, watching as she lulled, trying to stay awake and as the paramedics picked her up with the board and carried her through the rain to the ambulance, her hand slipped out of Lucas'.

He stood in the rain, watching as they loaded her into the ambulance when Peyton came up next to him, holding Jamie's hand.

"How is she?" Peyton asked as they started to walk over to the ambulance.

Lucas took in a deep breath, but didn't answer her question. "Come on." He said plainly, walking up towards the back of the ambulance as they were loading Brooke inside. As they approached, one of the paramedics was getting ready to shut the doors.

"We have room for one." He said, pointing inside.

Lucas looked at Peyton. "You go." He told her with a nod, knowing how strong Brooke and Peyton's relationship was. "Make sure she's okay. We'll meet you at the hospital, alright?"

Peyton nodded, rubbed Lucas' arm quickly before climbing into the back of the ambulance, sitting down next to Brooke and taking her hand.

Lucas watched, standing frozen as the paramedic shut the doors in front of him and then got in the driver's seat, turned the sirens on and drove away, leaving him and Jamie standing alone on the side of the road. He shook his head once they were gone, the guilt eating away at him. The accident was his fault.

"Uncle Lucas?" He heard suddenly from beside him.

He had almost forgotten about Jamie standing there next to him. He looked over at the small boy who was favoring his right arm closely to his body, "Hey buddy." He said, kneeling down in front of his godson. "The police are gonna be here soon to take us to the hospital too. How's your arm?"

Jamie put on a brave face, "It's okay." He said softly, "I'm just scared…"

"You're scared? Of what?" Lucas asked, clutching the boy's shoulder comfortingly.

Jamie looked up, "I'm scared because Aunt Brooke is hurt and…I don't want her to die." He said, tears streaming down his face along with the rain. He let out a shaky breath.

Lucas shook his head, "Your Aunt Brooke is not going anywhere, okay? I promise. We're all gonna be fine, Jamie. Well…unless your mother murders me for your broken arm." He smiled a little bit, "Now come on. Let's get under a tree or something, you must be freezing." He put his arm around the boy and then led him to a nearby tree where they waited until the police arrived.

* * *

**"Your life can change in an instant. That instant can last forever."**

Laura Kasischke


	5. It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing

**"Helplessness is such a rotten feeling. There's nothing you can do about it. Being helpless is like being paralyzed. It's sickness."**

Chris Barris

* * *

After the police got to the scene of the accident, it took them 30 minutes to get to the closest hospital, the hospital that Brooke and Peyton were taken to an hour earlier. When they arrived, the doctors separated Jamie and Lucas, checking them in different rooms. They discovered quickly that Lucas was fine, except for a few stitches on his shoulder. Jamie, however, needed to get a cast so while he was waiting, Lucas gave his statement to the police.

By the time he was finished with that, it had been two hours since they had gotten to the hospital and he still hadn't heard from Peyton or Brooke. It had been an hour since he'd seen Jamie and now, he was just sitting in the waiting room, guilt-stricken, wondering if he should call Haley yet.

It was 1:00 in the morning. He wondered if she was playing somewhere tonight, but he knew that she deserved to know whether she was or not so he went to a payphone outside the building and dialed the number he had memorized years before.

He could hear the fear in her voice when she answered. Even she knew that a phone call at this time of night couldn't be good news, especially from a number she didn't know.

"Hello?" She sounded like she had just woken up.

It took him a moment to muster up the courage to reply. "Hey Haley, it's Lucas." He wondered if he sounded as bad as he felt.

"Lucas? What's wrong?" From her reply, he assumed that he did.

"I-uhh, listen…Haley there's been an accident." He started and before he could even start explaining, Haley, being herself, started jumping to conclusions.

"An accident? What kind of accident?" She asked quickly, "Are you hurt? Is Jamie hurt? Where are you, Lucas?"

Lucas bit his lip, trying his best not to lose it. "We're at Henderson Memorial Hospital. I told you we flew to New York, but when we were flying back, we got stuck near Virginia Beach because of the storm so we decided to drive." He explained, "It was a car accident. As far as I know, we're all okay."

"As far as you know?!" Anger accented her voice.

Lucas nodded, he should have expected that. "Jamie was walking around last I saw him. The doctors told me that he had a broken arm and he needed a cast. I got stitches on my back, Peyton…I think she had to get something done to her arm and Brooke…I don't know, I think she had a concussion."

"God, Luke, what happened?"

He shook his head, "I was driving and Peyton and I were talking. It was raining pretty hard, but I was going slow. I looked down to turn my hazards on when Peyton saw a deer in the road. I swerved, clipped a car going the other way and skidded into a tree."

Haley was obviously upset, "Luke!" She exclaimed, "So everyone's okay? Can I talk to Jamie?"

"He's not out yet, none of them are, except for me. I figured I should call and tell you what's going on. I'm so sorry, Haley. It's all my fault this happened." Lucas said solemnly.

She let out a sigh, not agreeing or disagreeing with him. "Where did you say you were? Henderson? Nathan and I are coming, we're flying out there as soon as we can, alright?"

Lucas bit his lip, "No. You can't. First off, it's your tour, don't leave it just because of this accident. I can call you back with Jamie, video chat, everything. Second, there's still a huge storm. You won't be able to get here for a few days anyway. Everything is fine. Jamie is okay."

There was a long pause, "Okay…" She finally said. "And what about you, Lucas? Are you sure you're okay?"

He wanted to say no, that he wasn't okay, that he felt so guilty and so at fault for everything that it was tearing him apart, that he was so consumed by his worry for Peyton and for Brooke that he could barely breathe, he wanted so badly to tell her that he wasn't okay. But he lied. "I'm alright. I'll call you back when I can, okay? Hopefully with everyone else."

"Alright. Just stay safe, okay Lucas?" Haley said, "And hey…it's okay. Everyone makes mistakes, we're not blaming you for this and you shouldn't blame yourself either. Call me back later, okay?"

Lucas nodded, "Okay."

And then they hung up.

When he walked back up the stairs, he saw Jamie sitting in one of the chairs of the waiting room. He walked over and sat down next to him, "How are you buddy?" He asked, looking down at the green cast around his arm.

Jamie smiled a little bit, "Not bad." He said, "This cast is kinda awesome. All my friends can sign it and stuff." He shrugged.

Lucas nodded with a chuckle. "Oh yea, you're cast. You know, those things are quite the lady magnets. I'm sure you'll have girls swarming around you, wanting to sign it." He smiled, "And…in a few weeks it'll start to smell."

Jamie's eyes lit up, "Cool!" He said, excitedly.

Lucas nodded and leaned back in his chair with a sigh.

"Have you seen Aunt Brooke and Aunt Peyton yet?" He asked, turning his eyes on Lucas now.

He shook his head, looking down at his hands. "Not yet, but I think it should only be a matter of time before we do."

Lucas and Jamie sat there for another 15 minutes before both realizing how hungry they were so they took a trip down to the hospital cafeteria, got two sandwiches and ate them hungrily. When they got back, an hour had passed since they left.

And still no Peyton and Brooke.

So Lucas decided it was time to stop waiting and do something about it. He walked up to the desk, "Excuse me." He stared, "My friends were brought to this hospital from a car accident three hours ago and I haven't seen them or gotten an update…do you have any idea where they are or if they're okay?" He asked, the concern evident in his voice.

The woman at the desk looked at her computer, "A car accident?" She asked, typing on her computer.

"Yes." Lucas replied, "Their names are Peyton Sawyer and Brooke Davis, if that helps."

She nodded, typed for a few seconds more and then stopped, reading the screen. "Peyton Sawyer was discharged two hours ago and Brooke Davis is still here. Are you her emergency contact?"

Lucas shrugged, "I don't know…maybe…?" He wasn't sure.

The woman nodded and looked down at her computer screen, "Her emergency contacts are Peyton Sawyer, Haley James-Scott and Marvin McFadden." She looked up at him, "What is your name, sir?"

Lucas sighed, a little hurt that all of their friends were listed as her emergency contacts, except for him. He knew he probably deserved it, considering their history. He paused, "My name is Lucas Scott." He said half-heartedly.

"Lucas Scott?" She asked, looking up.

He nodded.

"Peyton Sawyer has you listed as her emergency contact." The woman told him, "So if you want an update on her condition…?"

Lucas nodded, "How is she?"

The woman scrolled for a few seconds, "It says here that she was given stitches for a laceration on her arm and was discharged an hour after she was brought in by the ambulance." She told Lucas, "That's all the records say, I'm sorry."

"And you can't tell me anything about Brooke?"

The woman shook her head. "No sir, I can't."

"What if I was Haley James-Scott's brother-in-law? Does that make a difference?" Lucas asked desperately, trying to get anything out of this lady about Brooke.

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Mr. Scott. I can't give you any information about Brooke Davis. It is against the law, patient confidentiality."

Lucas looked up at the ceiling, frustrated. "Look, Miss, I have Brooke's godson here behind me. He is Nathan Scott and Haley James-Scott's son. He wants to know that his aunt is okay and so do I. That's got to be worth something." He insisted.

The woman looked up at him, "It is the law." She told Lucas, "What I can tell you is that she's alright, not critical as of right now. Is that enough to hold you off?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

Lucas smiled a little bit, "That's all I wanted. Thank you." He turned around and walked back over to where Jamie was waiting in one of the chairs. He sat down next to the small boy, "Well…the lady at the desk just told me they're both okay." He smiled.

Jamie let out a sigh of relief. "Good." He said quietly, "When can we go see them?"

Lucas shrugged, "Apparently your Aunt Peyton was already discharged so she should be out here somewhere. We just don't know where. I don't know about Brooke though…" He said with a small sigh.

Jamie nodded, "So we still have to wait?"

Lucas opened his mouth to reply, but never got the chance.

"Not for much longer." A voice said from behind Jamie.

Lucas looked up and smiled, seeing Peyton standing there by the desk. Her arm was wrapped in a bandage, but other than that, she looked exactly the same, except for the fact that she was dry. She walked over to them and gave Jamie a quick hug.

"Where have you been?" Lucas asked, finding it hard to believe she was wandering through the hospital for the past two hours without running into them at some point.

Peyton looked at Jamie for a moment, then at Lucas, "I've been with Brooke." She said quietly.

"You've been with Brooke?" Lucas asked, "How is she?"

Peyton looked at the ground for a moment, "She lost consciousness on the way to the hospital. The paramedics said she had brain swelling. And when we got here the doctors said they weren't going to do surgery because it wasn't severe. So they gave her some medication to reduce the swelling. And I've just been sitting with her, she hasn't woken up yet, but the doctors say she should by the morning."

Lucas nodded slowly, "And what about complications?" He knew what kinds of questions to ask, considering all his experience with trauma and hospitals.

Peyton shrugged, "There were a lot of things. Brain damage, memory loss, speech problems…stuff like that, but they said the big complications like those were unlikely. They said they predict she won't remember the accident, might not be able to sleep or concentrate and will probably have pain and dizziness…stuff like that. Nothing permanent."

Lucas nodded. "Well…maybe we should get a hotel for the night."

Peyton shrugged and nodded.

But Jamie protested. "No, we should be here when she wakes up." He insisted.

Lucas and Peyton exchanged a look and then both nodded, agreeing with him. "Alright well then let's go, buddy." They stood up and followed Peyton down the hall and up the stairs to Brooke's room.

Lucas sat in a chair to her left while Peyton and Jamie sat across from him. He looked down at Brooke, she looked so pale. She reminded him of one of those porcelain dolls, so white in the face, so fragile. He took her hand in his gently, almost as if he were afraid it would break. He wanted to talk to her, to apologize, but he couldn't do it with Peyton and Jamie watching him.

He just felt so guilty. There she was lying on the bed in front of him riddled with tubes and wires and here he was, sitting next to her, completely fine when the whole accident had been his fault. He tried to tell himself they were all lucky, that it could have been worse, but he just couldn't. Looking at her as she lay still in her bed, he couldn't tell himself that they were lucky.

After an hour of sitting with Brooke, Jamie fell asleep in his chair, completely exhausted from the day's events. Another hour later, Peyton followed. Then it was just Lucas sitting there, unable to sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the car skidding wildly across the road with nothing he could do to stop it.

So he stayed awake.

The hours went by slowly, but he passed the time thinking. Without even noticing how much time had gone by, Lucas could see out the window that the night sky was starting to lighten, hinting that sunrise was only a few hours away.

Sunrise.

He'd been awake all night. That realization caused him to feel even more tired than before and he would have fallen asleep like Peyton and Jamie if he hadn't felt her hand move slightly in his. He looked down and loosened his grip.

Her hand moved again.

Lucas leaned forward, speaking quietly so he wouldn't wake Peyton and Jamie. "Brooke?" He tried, hoping that she would open her eyes at that.

But she just laid there.

He put both of his hands around hers. "Brooke, wake up." He said rubbing her hand soothingly. He watched as her eyebrows moved, creasing in discomfort. She let out a soft groan before reaching up with her free hand to touch her forehead.

Lucas watched her, "Brooke?"

Slowly, groggily, she opened her eyes. She scanned the room and then rested her eyes on Lucas. "Hey…" She said, her voice soft and hoarse. "Where…" She gulped, "Where are we?"

Lucas looked around the room, thinking it was obvious. He smiled comfortingly, "We're at the hospital, Brooke." He said and when he received a confused look from her, he continued to explain. "Last night, we were in a car accident and you got a concussion…so you don't remember."

Brooke blinked slowly, "A…car accident?"

Lucas nodded slowly, "We hit a tree. It was raining pretty hard, apparently there's tropical storm coming through." He looked out the window at the rain that was still coming down outside.

Brooke still didn't look satisfied. "I remember…getting in the car…and falling asleep." She paused, "And then I woke up here." She blinked rapidly before going on, "Oh my god…I had…the weirdest dream."

Lucas chuckled, "Can I ask what it was about?"

Brooke shook her head and gave a small smile, "You…You'd like to know, wouldn't you?" She replied, giving him nothing.

Lucas raised his eyebrows. "So it was _that _kind of dream?"

Brooke closed her eyes for a moment and smiled, but didn't reply. She reached up again and touched her forehead like she had before. Slowly, she took in a deep breath.

"Are you alright?"

Brooke nodded slowly. "I just feel kind of…" She paused, "dizzy." She finished.

Lucas nodded, "The doctors said you might. I can go them, if you want. They can probably give you something for that, maybe some water…" He offered, starting to stand up.

Brooke gripped his hand, "Wait." She said, "Don't leave yet." She opened her eyes and looked at him, "The doctors are going to make a big commotion…so can we just sit for a little bit?"

Lucas looked down at her, "Of course." He paused, glancing at the sleeping Jamie and Peyton. "There's kind of something I wanted to say anyway…" He started, "The accident. I know you don't remember, but I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry. You…went through all of this because of me…and a deer…and I'm just…I'm just sorry for that."

Brooke clutched his hand, "I really…don't remember, but…it's okay, Lucas." She said, "It was a mistake. We all make them, okay? You and I know that better than anyone else." She shrugged and met his eyes. "You just have to get up every day, look in the mirror and tell yourself that mistakes happen for a reason. Because they do."

Lucas looked down at the ground and nodded.

"Come here." Brooke said, moving slightly and opening her arms for a hug.

Lucas leaned over the bed and embraced her, wondering how she ended up comforting him even thought she was the one in this bed. He could feel her rubbing soothing circles on his back and he held her close, realizing how close he actually got to losing her. Slowly, he brought his legs onto the bed and laid down next to her.

Brooke rested her head on his shoulder and leaned into him.

Lucas put his arm around her and with his other hand, he grabbed one of hers and clutched it to his heart, closing his eyes.

"I can feel your heart beating." She breathed, her hand moving slightly against his chest.

Lucas smiled, clutching her hand tightly in his, loving how smooth and gentle it was. "Shhh…"He said quietly, "I'm trying to sleep." He shut his eyes and leaned back against the wall.

Brooke chuckled softly and leaned against him, the warmth of his body soothing. She closed her eyes, but didn't sleep. Her head was pounding and she felt nauseous so she just concentrated on the slow heart beat she felt underneath her hand, taking comfort in it.

Jamie, Peyton and Lucas all slept for a few more hours while Brooke laid awake, left alone to her thoughts, which were unentertaining. Around noon, a doctor poked his head into the room. "Anyone awake?" He whispered.

That doctor had come in several times before, asking the same question, but the times before, Brooke had just kept her eyes shut and waited for him to leave because everything was too peaceful to disturb. But that time, the pounding in her head was especially strong and she was desperate so she lifted her head and opened her eyes, squinting at the bright lights in her room that made her head hurt even more.

The doctor walked in when he saw her move, "Brooke Davis, finally awake. I'm Doctor Thomas." He smiled, "How are you feeling?"

To Brooke it sounded like he was yelling, she shook her head and squinted up at him. "Not so good." She whispered, noise sensitive to her ears.

The doctor nodded slowly, noticing her behavior. "Oh well, I'll just check your vitals and give you some medication then, it should help with the pain and the sensitivity." He said quietly, glancing at Lucas, who was asleep in the bed next to her.

Brooked shifted slightly and shook him gently, "Lucas…" She whispered carefully, "Wake up."

He was still for a moment and then he flinched, eyes coming open suddenly. He looked around quickly and then remembered where he was. "Brooke?" He looked up and saw the doctor, "What's wrong?"

The doctor gestured to Brooke, "I need to check her vitals, if you don't mind."

Lucas stared at him for a moment and then nodded, realizing what was happening. Quickly, he slid out of her bed and into a chair nearby, mumbling a soft apology.

Dr. Thomas smirked and went on to check her vitals and perform some tests to see how her head was doing. When he was finished, he administered medications and pain killers before going on to explain her condition. "Well there isn't much change with you concussion at the moment, but the swelling in your brain has gone down considerably, which is a good sign. By this time tomorrow, it should be close to normal." He paused, "Because of the swelling, we'd like to keep you for another night, just for observation, but tomorrow you can go home. No driving, no working, if you were thinking about operating heavy machinery, don't. Just get a lot of rest. And we will give you medicine to keep the brain swelling down once you leave. You'll have to take that for the next few weeks, maybe a month. You can probably go back to work in two weeks, I'd say, but take it easy." He paused again, "We'll also include some pain killers because it's likely you'll still get headaches, but they're strong so don't take too many."

Brooke nodded slowly, barely listening.

Next to her, Lucas joined the conversation. "What should she expect for the next few days?"

"Probably periodic headaches, confusion, pain, dizziness, insomnia and nausea." He paused, "Side effects from the pain killers parallel those: confusion, light nausea, maybe dizziness."

Lucas nodded, satisfied with the answer. He looked at Brooke, she looked really out of it, he knew it was probably the pain killers that the doctor had given her.

Dr. Thomas looked down Brooke's chart one more time, flipping through the pages. "Oh." He said when he noticed something. Carefully, he stepped closer to her, "We also noticed some bruises…" He spoke quietly, "All over your back, arms, legs, and on your face. We determined that they were already in the process of healing so they couldn't be from the accident. Protocol says that we need to ask what they're from." He glanced at Lucas, who shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, hoping that the doctor didn't think he did that to her.

Brooke wanted to tell him that she fell down the stairs, like she'd told everyone else, she wanted to lie so badly, but she knew that she couldn't. "I was attacked a few days ago in a robbery." She said blankly.

Dr. Thomas nodded slowly, "I'm so sorry." He said, "It looks like you have a bone bruise on one of your ribs so we bandaged that up. Try you best not to move it that much. We also found a nasty cut on your back that looked like you tried to bandage up, but it needed stitches so those will eventually need to be removed. As for your eyes, I recommend ice. It would speed up the healing process. Other than that, as I already said, just rest."

Brooke nodded slowly, "Alright." She replied.

The doctor gave her a smile. "I'll be back later to check you again, but the pain killers should kick in pretty soon." He nodded and then walked out of to the room.

Lucas gave Brooke a smile before walking over and waking up Jamie and Peyton.

They both woke up slowly, but once they were awake, they saw that Brooke was too.

Jamie pushed himself out of his chair and stood up next to her bed, it came up to his shoulders. "Aunt Brooke!" He exclaimed, "You're awake!"

Brooke flinched, her head pounding every time he spoke.

Lucas walked over. "Shhhh…" He said, putting a hand on Jamie's shoulder. "We have to be quiet because her head it hurting, okay?"

Brooke smiled at Jamie and reached out of her bed, taking his hand. "Hey Jame." She said softly.

Jamie grinned cheerfully, his eyes bright. "Hi Aunt Brooke." He said, his voice quieter than before. "How is your head?" He looked up at her curiously.

Brooke smiled and nodded, "It's better." He said before noticing his cast. "Wow, look at that. I love that color, Jamie. Have you gotten anyone to sign it yet?" She asked, even though, from where she was sitting, it didn't look like anyone had.

Jamie shook his head and lifted his cast onto the bed, laying it next to her. "The doctor gave me a sharpie when I first got it, but…" He pulled the sharpie out of his pocket and handed it to Brooke, "I wanted you to be the first one."

Brooke took the pen and smiled, touched by his gesture. She reached over and carefully signed the scratchy surface of his cast in smooth, large letters.

Jamie grinned, looking down at it.

"Look at that, Jamie. Brooke Davis just signed your cast." Peyton said with a smirk, "When you get it off, you could probably sell it and make some good money." She said, chuckling.

Brooke laughed, meeting her best friend's eyes. "How are you doing over there, P. Sawyer?"

Peyton chuckled and stood up, "Just worried sick about you, B. Davis. You scared me." She said, taking her hand.

Tears came to Brooke's eyes, "Sorry." She said with a small smile, "But really, how are you?" She asked, sniffing quietly and wiping the tears away before they had the chance to fall.

"I feel good, had a nice, dreamless sleep." She paused, "How long have you been awake?"

Brooke thought for a moment, "I woke up this morning while you two were dead asleep." She smiled playfully, "But Lucas was here."

Peyton chuckled, glancing at him. "Well we're glad you're okay." She put a hand on Jamie's back.

"I'm glad we're all okay."

They spent the rest of that day, taking and joking. Brooke mostly just listened quietly, the pain killers leaving her in a confused state. They talked about high school and all the good times they had. And Brooke loved it, high school had been such a good time in her life and she loved to remember it.

That night, Lucas, Jamie and Peyton got a hotel room for the night and video chatted Nathan and Haley, which went well. They didn't seem very mad about it anymore, just relieved that everyone was okay. The next day, Brooke was discharged at noon. They got another rental car and were on their way.

Brooke slept most of the way while Lucas, Jamie and Peyton played road trip games. The time passed slowly, but by 8:00 that night, they were in Tree Hill again.

Brooke woke up about an hour before they got home. She seemed very off, but they just chalked it up to the pain killers. "Are we almost home?" She had asked when she woke up.

Lucas stared at the road for a moment, thinking. "I'm pretty sure we only have an hour left now. How are you feeling back there?" He asked, looking in the rear view mirror at her.

It was silent for a moment.

"I think he's talking to you." Brooke prompted, looking at Jamie, who laughed in response.

"No, he's talking to you, Aunt Brooke!" Jamie said, watching her with amusement.

Brooke was silent for another moment, obviously confused. "Me? I feel good, better than good." She finally said, leaning back against her seat. "I don't think I've ever felt better."

Peyton chuckled, this situation was all too familiar to her. Brooke on pain killers, high as a kite, she'd seen it all before. Unknowingly, her soft laughing got Brooke's attention.

She leaned forward, "Well would you look at that? If it isn't Lucas Scott and P. Sawyer together again? Reminds me of some good times…"She paused, "And some bad." She chuckled, "Well actually a lot of bad." She rambled.

Jamie looked at her curiously, having never heard the story before. "What?" He asked, looking back and forth between the three adults in the car.

Brooke looked at him and shook her head, "Oh nothing. Just old news." She said before looking out the window. After that, she was silent for a while.

"The doctor said the pain killers would cause confusion and light nausea." Lucas muttered with a shake of his head.

Peyton chuckled, "I wouldn't exactly call that confusion." She said quietly, "It sounds more like she's high. Wouldn't be the first time." She smirked.

Lucas gave her a curious look.

She just shook her head, saying nothing else about the subject.

Within the next 30 minutes, they were back home, driving through the peaceful streets they all knew so well. First, they passed Peyton's old house, which had just been rented by a new family.

"Hey, P. Sawyer." Brooke said, speaking for the first time in 30 minutes.

Peyton turned. "Yea?"

Brooke smiled, nodding towards her house as they passed, "Remember the time I egged your house?" She asked with a laugh.

Lucas smirked. "What?"

"Yea, and I came out and tackled you in my front yard." Peyton reminded her.

They both laughed.

"Not kidding, that actually really hurt." Brooke said, rubbing the back of her head, "But not as bad as when you punched me that same night. You know if we really think about it, you punched me twice, tackled me and almost got me killed all in one week."

Peyton turned around, "Uh, not true."

Brooke gave her a look.

"Okay, half true."

Lucas was confused, "We're talking about senior prom night, right?" He asked, "I didn't know you guys fought that night too."

Brooke laughed and shook her head, clarifying, "No she just punched me because of Psycho Derek. He was going to kill me, but she said she wanted to do it instead so she took the knife from him and punched me."

Lucas gave Peyton a look.

Peyton put her hands up in surrender. "Brooke, you're telling the story in a weird way. It wasn't like that…" She tried.

Jamie was completely baffled, "Psycho Derek?"

"Like Nanny Carrie, but blonde and completely obsessed with Peyton." Brooke explained to him, "He tried to kill me. He tried to kill Brooke Davis. But he couldn't. I singlehandedly stopped him." She told Jamie, who listened to her, eyes wide with amazement.

"Singlehandedly?" Peyton asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lucas laughed.

Brooke shrugged and rolled her eyes, "P. Sawyer was there too, but she mostly just stood around while I took him down." She told him with a smile.

Peyton chuckled, shaking her head.

Brooke was about to launch into her version of the story when she looked out the window and saw her old house going by. "Oh there it is." She said, softly. "That's my old house, Jamie. Lots of good times there. Pregnancy scares, parents arguing, friends with benefits, breakups and lots of boys, especially in my room. God, we used to-"

"Brooke!" Peyton exclaimed.

She put her hands up in defense and then flashed Jamie a quick smile, "Never mind."

Lucas chuckled in the front seat and looked up as they passed his house. He smiled, thinking of the memories he had there and would make there, good and bad. He glanced at Peyton, she was gazing at his house too.

In the backseat, Brooke was also looking at it. "I thought your house was brown." She said quietly, seeing that it was yellow. "Did you paint it?" She asked as she gazed at the house going by.

Lucas chuckled and shook his head, "Nope. It's always been yellow." He insisted.

"Sure it has." Brooke replied.

Lucas glanced at Peyton, both of them confused. But they decided not to argue with her.

10 quiet minutes later, they were pulling into Brooke's driveway.

"Oh no. This is all wrong." Brooke said as they pulled up.

Peyton turned towards her. "What's wrong? It's your house, the same as we left it. I swear it's always been that color." She smirked.

But Brooke didn't reply, she was out of the car right as it stopped. She walked up the driveway, up the front stairs and to the door, where she stopped, staring.

Lucas caught up with her a few minutes later. "What's wrong?" He asked.

Brooke shook her head. "The door…" She said softly, "It's not red."

Lucas looked at the door sadly and nodded, "No. It's not." He said softly, "It's always been white."

Brooke shook her head and looked at him, "But then I'm not the girl behind the red door." She said quietly.

Lucas put his arm around her. "You'll always be the girl behind the red door, Brooke, no matter what house you live in."

Brooke stared at the door blankly without looking at him, "Do you ever miss it?" She asked quietly.

Lucas tilted his head, looking down at her. "Miss what?" He asked, confused.

Brooke shrugged. "High school." She replied, pausing for a moment. "Or us?" She asked, gazing sadly at the white door in front of them.

Lucas stared at it too. "High school, all the time. And us?" He paused and smiled a little bit. "Sometimes I do. What we had was really great, you know? I don't think I've ever felt so comfortable around another person, not even since then."

Brooke nodded, but didn't smile. "Yea, we were good together." She said before adding, "But it wouldn't have worked." She smiled, "I was just a wedge between you and Peyton and all I really needed to do was get out of the way."

Lucas shook his head, looking down at her again. "That's not true. I loved you, Brooke, for a long time."

Brooke looked at him too and smiled. "I loved you too." She said before looking away, "But even after all this time, it still hurts." She said as she stepped forward, opened the door and entered her house, leaving Lucas standing on the porch, speechless and alone.

* * *

**"Perhaps this is what the stories meant when they called somebody heartsick. Your heart and your stomach and your whole insides felt empty and hollow and aching."**

Gabriel Marquez


	6. Everybody Hurts

**"Would 'sorry' have made any difference? Does it ever? It's just a word. One word against a thousand actions."**

Sarah Ockler

* * *

Lucas stood alone on the porch for a long time, or at least it felt like a long time even though in reality, it was only a few minutes. But to him, it was an eternity.

Peyton and Jamie walked up behind him from the car, carrying all of their luggage. "Look at you, Mr. Heavy Lifter. You're gonna have big muscles some day, maybe even bigger than your dad's." She was saying to Jamie as they walked up.

"You know," Peyton started as they walked past Lucas through the door, "it would have been nice to have some help with this luggage."

Lucas nodded and offered her a half-hearted smile. "Yea, sorry." He said, taking the suitcases from her and then going on to take them up the stairs.

Peyton noticed his behavior was off. "What's wrong?" She asked when Jamie had left the room.

Lucas shrugged and shook his head. "It's nothing." He said, pulling his suitcase open and starting to unpack his stuff.

But Peyton didn't buy it.

"Lucas, come on. I'm your friend. Tell me what's bothering you." She said forcefully, knowing that would be the only way to get him to talk.

Lucas stopped unpacking. He stood there for a moment, a shirt in his hand. He gripped it tightly for a moment and then slowly, calmly put it down on the bed. "It's Brooke. " He said, "I just…" He sighed, "I was talking to her and I just feel so guilty…"

"About the accident?"

Lucas shrugged and nodded. "Yea, about the accident and about high school. We were talking on the porch and she said it still hurt. It's been five years. And she's still so closed off and I did that to her, me." He shook his head.

"It wasn't just you, Luke."

He looked up, shrugged. "So it was both of us." He corrected, "It still doesn't make it right. Or better."

Peyton nodded slowly. "Lucas, she'll find someone. And so will you and so will I. And then high school won't matter." She tried.

"It'll always matter." Lucas said with a small sigh as he continued to take his clothes out of his suitcase. He opened his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by a voice in the doorway.

"Lucas?"

It was Brooke.

She leaned against the doorframe, one hand on her head, the other gripping the doorframe tightly. He turned around. "Brooke?" He walked over, concerned. "What's wrong?"

Brooke shook her head. "Nothing. I'm okay, I'm just…" She paused, closing her eyes tightly for a moment before continuing, "I'm just having another headache. You have the medicine in your bag, right?"

Lucas glanced back at his bag. "No I thought I put it in yours. If they weren't there…" He shrugged, not sure where else they could be.

Brooke shook her head again, rubbing her forehead tenderly. "I didn't even look. I'm sorry that's probably where they are." She said with a sigh.

Lucas nodded, "That's okay. Come on, I'll show you where it is." He said, but truthfully, he just didn't want her to go down the stairs by herself. She didn't look like she was all there.

Brooke nodded and turned around, walking slowly down the hall, her steps shaky.

Lucas put his arm around her waist and started to help her down the stairs. He glanced at her and smiled reassuringly.

She didn't notice.

They were downstairs a few minutes later. They went to Brooke's bedroom and she sat on the bed while Lucas pulled the medicine out of the side pocket of her bag. "Here you go." He said, handing her the pills. "I think they're the drowsy kind too so it should help you sleep." He smiled and turned to leave.

When he got to the doorway, he heard her behind him again. "I heard what you said."

Lucas didn't turn around. He froze, hoping she wasn't talking about what he thought she was talking about.

"About high school and me and everything." She clarified.

His heart dropped. The last thing he wanted was to bring it all up for her again. He was sure it wasn't easy to relive. He turned around. "Brooke…" He started.

She stopped him with a shake of her head. "No. Don't apologize. Lucas, it's been five years. And yea, when I think about it and how it felt, it still hurts, but I've moved on since then. I'm done dwelling on it and you should be too, okay?"

Lucas walked over and sat on the bed next to her. "I really am sorry for that, Brooke. And I just want you to know, I've changed and I would never do anything like that to you or to anyone again, okay?" He smiled a little bit.

Brooke smiled too. "Okay." She laid back on her bed, exhausted. "I'm so tired." She said, closing her eyes.

Lucas nodded. "Well I'll let you get some sleep then." He stood and started making his way to the door.

She sat up, "Wait."

He stopped and turned around.

"Will you stay with me for a little while? I like talking to you." Brooke said quietly, getting under the covers of her bed.

Lucas smiled and walked back over. "Sure." He said, sitting down on her bed.

"Come on, it's freezing. Get under the covers, you dork." Brooke teased lightly.

Lucas chuckled and slipped his shoes off, sliding into bed next to her. "Wow, memory foam, I like it." He gave her a smile.

"No, you don't."

Lucas nodded, surprised at how well she knew when he was lying. "You're right, I don't." He said laughing. "It feels like cement. How do you sleep on this every night?"

Brooke shook her head. "I honestly have no idea. It's like a rock, but it was so expensive that I keep it because I'm trying to convince myself that buying it was worth the money." She smirked, patting it's hard surface underneath them.

Lucas laughed and leaned against the headboard, closing his eyes. "I could fall asleep." He said.

Brooke shook him gently. "No! I kept you here to talk to me until I'm asleep."

"Are you asking me to talk you to sleep?" Lucas asked, looking down at her.

Brooke smiled, dimples showing on her cheeks. "Wouldn't be the first time." She said quickly.

Lucas' mouth dropped open as Brooke laughed.

"I'm sorry, but you set yourself up for that one." She said.

Lucas nodded with a sigh.

"But I'm serious." Brooke said seriously. "Talk to me, tell me a story or something. Aren't you supposed to be some kind of a writer?"

"Published author." He clarified.

"Technicality."

Lucas chuckled. "Fine." He said, "You want a story. I'll give you a story then, it's gonna blow you away, be ready."

"Oh, I'm ready." Brooke said sarcastically.

Lucas smirked. "Once upon a time…" He started.

"Interesting, a little cliché, but I'll let it slide." Brooke said playfully, smiling up at him as she listened.

Lucas carried on with a smile. "Once upon a time," he tried again, "there was a princess in a far away land, a princess named Brooke."

"Oh, now I'm hooked."

Lucas laughed lightly. "Princess Brooke was the most beautiful, most independent, most charismatic princess in all the land. And to her parents' delight, she had many suitors. Among them," he grinned, "Prince Nathan, Prince Chase, Prince Marvin, Prince Owen, Prince Felix and most handsome of all, Prince Lucas."

Brooke laughed.

"All were fair choices for the princess. They were gentlemen, they took her on dates and one by one, she came to realize that they were all wrong for her." Lucas paused, "To that, her parents were displeased. Their riches were diminishing and in order to keep the kingdom stable, they needed the princess to marry a prince whose kingdom had money. Out of all the princes, the horrible Prince Felix's kingdom was willing to combine with theirs, so her parents arranged the marriage."

"Princess Brooke didn't like that. She hated the idea of marrying for money, but her parents didn't care. They were ready to make her for the sake of their kingdom and the princess thought that was the end." Lucas smiled. "Until…one beautiful night. The moon was full and Princess Brooke had snuck away from her castle to the beach. She loved it there, the sand beneath her feet, the waves crashing to shore, everything. Often times, she went there to think. That night was one of those nights. She walked to the beach and let the water rush to her feet, thinking that she was alone."

Brooke smiled, watching how Lucas' eyes lit up when he told stories.

"But she wasn't. A voice came from behind her as she stood. 'Hello.' It said. She turned around and there stood a man, very handsome, or at least she assumed by his build because covering the top of his face was a white mask.

'Who are you?' She asked, suspicious.

He just smiled, a very charming, very friendly smile, his eyes gentle. 'I'm your prince.' He said, his voice soft to her ears. 'And I'm here to take you away.' He told her.

'Take me away?' She asked, frightened. 'From what?'

He walked over and planted a soft, gentle kiss on her lips and when he pulled away, he replied in a whisper, 'Everything.'

She stared at him, mesmerized and as she stared into his eyes, she knew. She knew that he _was _her prince. His eyes were kind, gentle and they looked at her, admired her and she could tell that he would look at her like that forever. 'Okay.' Was all she replied, but even though it was simple, it was so complicated.

The man took her hands in his and smiled. 'Okay.'

But before they could go anywhere, the guards of the kingdom descended on them, yelling, tearing them apart. The princess screamed and cried, but the guards pulled her away, but as she turned to get one last look at her prince, she saw him elbow the guard that had grabbed him and start running. He was getting away. And it was bittersweet for her. On one hand, he would be safe, on the other, she may never find him again. But she was noble, so she let him go and she hoped that she would never see him again because if she did, he wouldn't be safe."

Lucas looked down at Brooke, her head was on his chest, eyes closed. He smiled at her, wondering if he should continue or not.

"Keep going." She said suddenly, not opening her eyes. "I'm listening." She whispered.

Lucas smiled and nodded, "Good because I was just getting started." He paused, "Princess Brooke was taken back to her castle that night to be married to Prince Felix the next morning. But that night, when her parents locked her in her room, she snuck away by climbing out of her window."

"After she left, some people said she was looking for a prince, for a home, but really, the princess was looking for herself. She was independent. She was strong. And she didn't need a man to define her. So she left the kingdom, moved land to land on her own and made a name for herself. She was not a princess anymore, she was herself, what she wanted to be." He paused, "And then, when she finally knew who she was, she came to a kingdom. It was poor, it wasn't glamorous, but it felt like a home. So she settled there. She had a house built, she started a bakery on her own and became something, despite her past. And one day, she went to the beach, like she used to. She stood on the sand and let the water wash over her feet. And then she heard a voice behind her, 'Hello.' It said.

She didn't turn around. She recognized the voice. 'Who are you?' She asked.

The man walked over to her and she turned, his mask was off now and she was finally able to see who her prince was. She smiled, he was as handsome as ever, as handsome as she had imagined. 'I'm your prince.' He said. And she smiled, stepped over and kissed him. From that day on, she lived out her days with that prince, who was not, in fact, a prince at all, but just a normal man. And together, they lived happily ever after."

Lucas looked down when he finished and saw that her eyes were closed like before, he rubbed her arm gently, smiling. He wondered if he should stay with her or go sleep in a different room, he didn't want anyone to get the wrong impression. Slowly, he started to slide out of the bed.

Brooke was limp, even after he got up.

But when he got to the doorway and turned the light off, she spoke. "Have a good night, Luke." She said quietly, blinking through the darkness.

"You too, Brooke."

And then he left.

The next day, Lucas got up and took Jamie down to Tric, where they hung out for a while, drinking root beers and poking fun at Chase, who was the bartender/bar manager. After that, they visited Peyton and Mia at the studio. It was near dinner time when they started heading home, starving and exhausted. It was just starting to get dark when they were pulling into the driveway.

"What the…?" Lucas said as he pulled in behind Brooke's car, which was parked crooked in the driveway, two wheels in the grass, the flower beds half-crushed. He shook his head and parked his car before looking up towards the house where he saw Brooke on the front porch with a can of paint. "Oh no." He said, getting out of the car quickly, Jamie followed.

He ran up to the porch, just as Brooke was dipping the paint brush into the deep red paint. "Brooke!" He exclaimed, standing between her and the door. "Stop."

Brooke gave him a curious look. "Where did you come from?"

Lucas pointed to the car in the driveway. "Did you go driving today?" He asked.

Brooke glanced backwards. "Uhhh…" She paused, "No?"

"Hm, why don't I believe you?" He paused, "Oh it might be because of the car parked sideways in the driveway. The doctor told you not to drive. You're lucky you didn't hurt someone or yourself."

Brooke shrunk down a little, knowing that she was wrong. "I know…I just needed to go to the store and I really didn't want to walk. I tried to call someone, but everyone was busy and it was only a few streets away so I went. I drove so slow and I didn't see one car on the way there."

Lucas shook his head. "And what are you doing?" He asked, gesturing to the door behind him. "Your house is yellow, Brooke. Yellow and red do not go together and when you snap out of this, you'll regret painting the door and you'll kill me for not stopping you, alright? So don't. Please don't paint the door. You're Brooke, okay? You don't need to be defined by the past."

Brooke stared at him for a long time and then sighed. "You're right." She put the brush down. "I'm sorry." She said quietly.

Jamie walked up on the porch. "Can we paint my bike with this?" He asked, pointing to the paint. "It's white and that's so lame, but if it was red…" He raised his eyebrows.

Brooke laughed lightly. "Sure, go get it out of the garage, okay?"

"Yay!" Jamie said, running down the stairs quickly. He went to the garage and rolled his white bike out where Lucas and Brooke met him with the paint. They painted it in the grass, dying half of her yard red, but Lucas insisted it would fade. When they were done, Jamie's bike was a deep shade of red, just like he'd asked.

"It's awesome!" He exclaimed happily, "Thanks Aunt Brooke!" He climbed onto the bike and rode across the driveway.

Lucas lifted the paint can out of the yard. "I think I have an idea." He said with a smile, "Stay out here with Jamie for a while, okay? Don't come in until I come back. I want it to be a surprise." He walked inside, taking the paint with him.

Brooke stayed outside with Jamie for the next thirty minutes, watching him ride his bike around the street and yelling for him to come back when he went too far out. She sat down on the back of her car and watched him, smiling.

After those thirty minutes, Lucas came back outside. "Brooke! Jamie! It's time for dinner!" He called out, grinning.

Brooke chuckled and slid off of her car, following Jamie up the stairs and into the house. They walked inside where a soft sizzling noise was coming from the kitchen. He had started dinner, stir fry. She smiled. "Is that my surprise?" She asked, sniffing.

Lucas chuckled. "Nope." He pointed down the hall.

Brooke nodded slowly and walked down the hall towards her room. As she approached, she could tell something was different. It wasn't until she was standing right in front of her door that she realized what he'd done. Her door was red. He had painted her bedroom door red.

Speechless, she stared at it.

Lucas walked up behind her. "What do you think?" He asked, chuckling.

Brooke blinked, "I'm the girl behind the red door." She smiled and turned around so that she was looking at him, "Lucas, you have no idea how much this means to me. Thank you…so much." She hugged him warmly.

Lucas hugged her back. "Anytime." He smiled and pulled away before walking back to the kitchen where he continued to cook their dinner.

Brooke watched him go, biting her lip. It was happening again, this feeling she got when she was around him. She wondered, what if…

But then she heard the front door open and close. And then in walked Peyton, she stopped when she saw Brooke standing in the hallway. "Hey there, how're you feeling? Better?" Her eyes were bright, it looked like she'd had a good day.

Brooke smiled half-heartedly. "Yea." She said softly.

She'd made her decision. She couldn't do that to her friend, it would hurt her and she wouldn't be able to live with that. Plus, it hadn't worked twice, so why would it work this time? It wouldn't. That was the answer.

Peyton walked over, "What's wrong?"

Brooke smiled a little bit. "Nothing." She said, glancing at the red door, "Come on. Let's go watch Lucas cook, I doubt we'll ever see it again." She joked lightly before walking towards the kitchen.

Peyton smiled and followed.

* * *

**"Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars."**

Khalil Gibran

* * *

**A/N: Sorry this chapter might be boring to some of you, but the next one should be good and if not that one, than definitely some of the others after it. There's a lot coming, I have a lot of ideas so...don't let this one chapter make you think I'm losing it, because I promise you, I'm not. **

**PS- Brooke and Lucas have a long road ahead of them. I hate when stories are five chapters and they fall for each other over one event with no problems, no compromises, no fighting. I feel like that's not realistic. You have to build a relationship with someone before fall in love with them so that's what is happening with Brooke and Lucas. **

**Lots of drama on the way, be ready.**

**Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review!**


	7. We Belong Together

**"Usually when people are sad, they don't do anything. They just cry over their condition. But when they get angry, they bring about a change."**

Malcolm X

"You know what?" She glared at him, eyes fierce with anger. "I should have expected this from you! I should have known!"

Lucas put his arms out, "Me? How is this in any way my fault? Brooke, I didn't mean to hurt you. But _you_ turned _me_ down, you told me that we shouldn't try this again, so what's the problem?" He asked, baffled by her anger.

"What's the _problem_?" Brooke asked, her eyes livid, her voice raising. "The problem is that you…" She almost seemed too angry to be able to come up with words. "You gave up on us! You always do, the moment something better comes along, you stop trying. I did turn you down, Lucas. But I feel like we've already had this conversation. You have to _fight_ for the people you love!"

Lucas shook his head, fighting to keep his composure even though the alcohol was compromising his judgement, "Not this time. I'm done fighting for someone that doesn't love me back. It's a waste of my time and of yours. We aren't meant to be. It's obvious now. We never were."

"Do you know why I came down here, Lucas?" Brooke asked, her voice quiet, but her eyes cold. "I came down here to take back what I said last night. I came down here to tell you that I was wrong and I think we should give us a try again. But…" She shook her head, "I guess that's not going to happen." She turned around and started heading for the door.

Lucas went after her, out to the parking lot of the Tric. "That's not fair! You can't just come down here and take it back! Now, I'm the bad guy for no reason! You turned me down, Brooke. You told me no, what was I supposed to do?"

"Not sleep with someone else the next night. What is wrong with you?" Brooke said, turning around to face him. "If you really felt how you said you did last night, then you wouldn't have done this."

Lucas groaned in annoyance. "I can't wait on you forever. You know what I think? I think you like the attention, I think you like the chase. You like it when I come after you. But it's just manipulation. Because every time I do chase, it goes nowhere." He shook his head, "Being with you isn't worth the chase. And I think it's selfish of you to want me to."

"Are you kidding me?"

Lucas shook his head.

"No, seriously, I hope you're kidding, you…" Brooke glared up at him, "You know what? You wouldn't understand. You don't know me. You don't know _anything."_ She turned to leave again.

But Lucas followed again. "About you? I don't know anything about you?" He laughed angrily, "I disagree. I think I have you all figured out. In high school, you were the slutty best friend. And for the first two years, that was good enough, but junior year, you decided you wanted something more. So you got me, easily. And you thought you had me for good, but I broke up with you and it broke you because you knew for the first time what it was like to want a guy didn't want you back. And then senior year, we tried it again. But it was the same thing. You just wanted a guy to have on your arm. You let guys define you. And four years later, even with a franchise called Clothes Over Bros, they still do. And I'm done being the shiny prize that you want to have sitting on your shelf."

Brooke turned around quickly and slapped him across the face. "Don't you dare try to act like you know me."

Lucas touched his face, surprised. For a split second after it happened, he remembered something Peyton had said a few months earlier: _Brooke has a mean slap…it stings for a while. _And as he touched his cheek, he agreed.

But he wasn't done.

"Correct me then." He said, shrugging. "How was I wrong?"

Brooke closed her eyes for a moment, trying to compose herself. "Fine! You really want to know? You really want to get into this, fine! My parents didn't love me, they completely ignored me. And I always felt like I wasn't good enough. For them, for anyone. So when I finally found a guy, you. When I finally found you, junior year and you broke my heart. You only made that feeling stronger." She said with a shake of her head. "And since then, every time I want to open my heart, I can't. Because of you."

"Come on, Brooke. You can't blame this all on me." Lucas said, shaking his head, alcohol on his breath.

Brooke glared at him, "God, every time I feel like we're just getting back, something like this happens. I can't do it anymore, Luke. I can't feel like I'm not good enough anymore, especially not for someone like you."

"Someone like me?"

Brooke shook her head and closed her eyes for a moment. "You broke me, you did. And it hurt, it still does." She sighed, "And I wanted to be your friend and I wanted to love you, but after this, after today, all I feel is…"

"What?!"

Brooke sighed, "Nothing. I feel nothing."

"Well, good." Lucas said, shaking his head.

Brooke stared up at him for a long time, deeply hurt. Tears came to her eyes, but she turned away from him long before they fell. "We're done, Lucas Scott. For good." She said to him and then she walked away.

And that time, Lucas let her go.

A month. It had been a month since the accident and while that wasn't that long, a lot had happened since then:

Brooke's head had completely healed and she'd gone back to work.

Jamie had turned five.

Lucas had started writing his third book.

With Haley's blessing, Brooke invited the teenage girl, who had stolen from her store, to stay in the house with them. At first, it had been a challenge, but Brooke had actually started to get through to her. And she and Jamie had fun together.

Brooke had designed a whole new fashion line that she was just getting ready to debut.

And the night before this huge argument, Lucas had told Brooke how he felt about her.

_Brooke was standing in her store, it was night and she was alone, but it had been a long time since her attack and she wasn't scared anymore. She was looking over her new line. She had the manikins lined up in front of her, all wearing the designs. She smiled, they looked amazing. Suddenly, she heard clapping behind her. _

_She turned. _

_Lucas was standing in the door, smiling and clapping loudly. He walked up beside her. "Wow Brooke." He said, shaking his head. "These look phenomenal." _

_Brooke grinned, "I know."_

_Lucas laughed. "When do you think they're gonna be completely ready?"_

_"They are completely ready." Brooke said, smiling. "I think by the end of this week, I'm gonna try to get them noticed." She shrugged. _

_Lucas nodded, "Well that's really great, Brooke. You really have left us all in the dust, haven't you? I mean, for the past four years when I've ever said that I knew and dated Brooke Davis, it would get me into so many clubs and even more beds, it's ridiculous." He chuckled. _

_Brooke raised her eyebrows. "I hope you're kidding."_

_"I am." Lucas put his hands up in surrender. "God, what happened to your sense of humor?"_

_Brooke smirked, "It must have died with the rest of my career." She muttered, chuckling slightly. "Come on. Want to go to the roof? The view is so pretty at night."_

_Lucas nodded slowly, "Sure."_

_And then they walked up the stairs and to the roof. It was chilly, but nice. For Lucas, the roof brought back a lot of memories, mostly good. He and Haley had a lot of good times together up there. And he loved the view, he'd been looking at that view since he was kid. _

_"You and Haley used to hang out up here, right?" Brooke asked as they walked to the edge and stood there, looking over the lights of downtown Tree Hill._

_Lucas nodded, a small smiled coming to his face. "There used to be a put-put course up here. We built it together and we'd come up here and play." He smirked, "It was nice, you know? Not having all the drama and pressure. Just us, up here, playing mini golf." _

_Brooke smiled and touched his arm. "That does sounds nice." She paused and sat down on the edge of the building. "I bet you guys had a lot of fun up here, made a lot of memories." She smiled, looking over the brick roof._

_Lucas sat down next to her. "It was great." He said, "But everything after was nice too…"_

_Brooke shook her head, "Not as nice as this." She smiled, "I was popular since middle school and I would have killed to just have some kind, innocent fun with my best friend." She shrugged._

_"I'm sure you and Peyton had some good times."_

_Brooke nodded slowly, "We did. Lots of parties, lots of boys and glamour, but I think the time I enjoyed the most was when we were little and we had a snow day. We built this fort and we sat inside it all day and just talked and had so much fun. Peyton's mom was still alive, my parents were being civil to each other and we just sat there."_

_"And worried that your lives were about to change."_

_Brooke smiled and nodded, "The book." She said, referring the Lucas' novel, the one she'd read countless times._

_Lucas nodded, "Peyton told me about that day. She said it was one of her favorite moments too. You know, just because you two partied and let boys get between you, it doesn't mean your friendship wasn't just as strong."_

_Brooke smirked, "I know." She looked at him, "I wish I could have been your friend before junior year. I always needed a friend like you, someone I could count on, you know? It's just sad that popularity stood in the way."_

_He nodded silently._

_"Now, tell me the truth here." Brooke smiled, "What did you think of me before you actually knew me? When you and Haley used to come up here and talk, what did you say about me?"_

_Lucas raised his eyebrows, "If I answer, then you have to do the same for me. No lies."_

_Brooke nodded. "You first."_

_Lucas nodded and looked over the roof. "I thought you were hot, but shallow. And Haley always said you were stuck up and rich. I thought you were a party girl, no morals and I was sure that you didn't have any real problems. I thought your life was perfect and I was jealous." He paused, "But I was wrong." He smirked, "Oh and I really liked your smile, the genuine one. Not the one you'd give me when you saw me in the hall, the fake one. No, I'm talking about the one I'd see when you and Peyton talked, I loved it. I also thought you were dating Tim."_

_"Ew!" Brooke exclaimed, "Did everyone think I was dating Tim?"_

_Lucas nodded slowly, "I'm sorry."_

_Brooke laughed lightly. "Oh well. I did kiss him one time, but in my defense, I was really, really drunk." She paused, "Anyway…hmmm. I thought you were obsessed with Peyton. I thought you were kind of quiet, stalker-ish. And from what Nathan told me, I knew you were half-brothers and I felt bad for you because you got the short end of the stick. I always thought you looked smart, kind. But kind of quiet and closed off, probably didn't have a lot of fun. And I was sure that you dating Haley."_

_"Ew!" Lucas said, shaking his head. "Did everyone think I was dating Haley?"_

_Brooke nodded. _

_"She's like my sister."_

_Brooke nodded and was quiet for a moment before continuing, "So now that I know what you thought of me back then, what do you think of me now?" She asked, looking up at him curiously. _

_Lucas looked at her, "Same deal. I answer, you answer too." _

_Brooke nodded in response. _

_Lucas paused for a moment for starting, "Once I met you and once we dated, I got to see you in a whole new perspective. I realized you did have a heart and that it could be broken. And I saw that you really cared about your friends and your life. And I liked that. I thought you were fun and you made me laugh, like really laugh. And then over the years, I saw you even more. You're independent, brave, smart, strong and you don't let anyone tell you who you are or who you're going to be. I'll never forget what you said to me one day when we were dating. You said, 'I am who I am, no excuses.' And I really admired that. You've never made excuses. You are who you are and I think that person's really great."_

_Brooke smiled at him, meeting his eyes. "Thank you." She said quietly. _

_Lucas smirked and nodded, "You're turn. Criticize me."_

_Brooke laughed lightly before looking down at the ground in front of her. "I started dating you…because I thought you were cute and I loved basketball guys, but even I was surprised when I fell for you. You were so sweet and so genuine and I loved that. And after all these years, after all the stuff we've been through, you're still sweet and genuine and I still love that about you." She paused, "You broke my heart twice and with any other guy, I wouldn't be able to look them in the eyes, but it's different with you. It's so hard to be mad at you because you're reliable, you're charming and you never let people down. You make people feel comfortable when they talk to you and you never put yourself first." She smiled and paused again, "I started dating you because I thought you were cute and I liked basketball guys, but even I was surprised when I fell for you, but now, after I've gotten to know you even more…it's not that surprising." She looked up at him. _

_Lucas looked down, meeting her eyes. He was so touched by her words. He stared down at her, admiring how even in the darkness, she was radiant and beautiful. He leaned down, in the heat of it, and gently brushed his lips against hers in a gentle, whisper of a kiss. And when he pulled away and saw the surprised look on her face, he finally said what he'd been waiting say for weeks. "Brooke, I think it's happening again."_

_Brooke tilted her head. "It?" She asked, even though she already knew the answer. _

_Lucas nodded slowly, "I'm falling for you all over again. And I'm sorry for putting you on the spot like this, but I have to say it now before I miss my chance and someone else takes you away again. I want you, Brooke, to be with you anyway. And I know it hasn't worked with us before, but we were young and I was…" He shook his head, "The point is…this is me, asking you to give us another try because my feelings are real and I promise I won't hurt you like I did before."_

_Brooke gulped, speechless. Her mind was racing, but she had no idea what to say. Her cheeks reddened quickly. She stared into his deep, green eyes and bit her lip._

_Lucas put his hand on her cheek. "Say something." He said, not sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing that she had been silent for so long. _

_Brooke looked down at the ground for a moment and then met his eyes again, quietly giving him her response. "No."_

_"What?" His heart pounded. _

_Brooke touched his hand, which was still on her cheek. "I said…no." She clarified, voice soft._

_Lucas stared at her, shaking his head. He couldn't believed what he was hearing. She'd said no. But why? He had been sure that he could see the same longing in her eyes._

_"Lucas, we've done this before. Don't you ever feel like we're just going through life doing the same things over and over again? You, me and Peyton in the same house…it's not a good idea. Plus, you'll always hold a special place in Peyton's heart and I can't take that away from her. She's my best friend."_

_"But she took it away from you."_

_Brooke sighed, "Lucas. Listen to me. You and Peyton have a bond, okay? And I'm done being the girl who stands in the way of that, even if right now, you don't think it's there. You change your mind too much and I don't think I want to be a part of that anymore, I'm sorry." She said quietly as she gently moved his hand off of her face. "I love you, Luke, I do. But now isn't the time and I am not the girl."_

_Lucas didn't say anything for a long time. He just looked at the ground, obviously crushed. He stood up, "I understand." He stood up and gave her a small, sad smile. "I think I should go…"_

_"Luke…"_

_Lucas shook his head, "It's okay, Brooke. I'll see you at home. Don't wait up."_

Brooke was thinking about that when she was getting into her car. She had turned him down and maybe she thought it was the right thing to do, but she still loved him and she couldn't help being hurt when she saw him kissing some slut at Tric. She just wanted someone to fight for her. Maybe Lucas, maybe her mother, just someone.

She blinked tears out of her eyes as she stared her car and started driving.

Lucas walked back inside of Tric, still fuming. His anger and complaining drunkenly about Brooke caused him to lose the girl he had been kissing earlier. He spent the rest of the night getting completely wasted. Chase took his keys at the end of the night and he was forced to stumble home in the darkness. When he got home, he expected everyone to be asleep, but was surprised to find the kitchen lights on. He looked around, confused. The room was spinning. He gripped the couch for support.

And then suddenly, Peyton emerged from the hallway and walked up to him. "Lucas, where the hell have you been?" She asked, crossing her arms expectantly.

Lucas groaned, squinting at her. "Out." He said, rolling his eyes. "What does it matter to you?"

Peyton rolled her eyes and grabbed him, pulling him to the kitchen and sitting him down on one of the kitchen chairs. "A few hours ago, Brooke comes storming into the house. It looked like she'd been crying. I asked her what was wrong and she said it had something to do with you and then she said that she was going up to New York with Millie for a few days to present her new line. She said she was taking Jamie with her too and they left a few hours ago, apparently she got an early flight." She paused, "What did you do?"

Lucas shook his head, "Nothing." He slurred.

"Are you drunk?" Peyton asked, but once she got close enough to him, she could easily smell the alcohol stench all over his clothes. "Oh my god, Lucas. Is that why you didn't come home last night? Because you were drunk?"

Lucas shook his head and without even really knowing what he was saying, he went on. "Last night, I told Brooke I wanted her and she said she didn't want me back." He said harshly, "Her loss…I went down to the bar and plenty of girls were interested in me."

Peyton closed her eyes, "You were with another girl, weren't you?"

"What?"

"Brooke saw you with another girl tonight, didn't she?"

Lucas nodded, "How did you-"

"Lucas! What were you thinking? You told her you loved her. That's supposed to mean something, not just be a meaningless part of conversation you can forget about the next day." Peyton sighed, "That's why she was so upset."

Lucas sighed, "I didn't mean it."

"Mean what?"

"The stuff with the other girls, it didn't mean anything to me." Lucas said sloppily. "I was just sad and lonely and drunk and tired and they were all so nice and pretty…" He shook his head, "Now Brooke is mad at me."

Peyton nodded, "Really mad."

Lucas leaned back against the couch, "What do I do?"

It killed Peyton to say this, to give the guy she loved advice to win the heart of her best friend, but she knew it was the right thing to do. And that it was about time she moved on anyway, "You fight for her, Lucas. That's all she wants from you."

"Oh my god, he's so wasted."

Peyton and Lucas both turned around to see Sam sitting on the couch in the living room.

"Forgot I was here, didn't you? I hope you remember to feed me tomorrow. Without Brooke here, I'm scared I'm gonna starve." Sam said as she got up and walked over to them. "So what's all this about you and Brooke?" She raised her eyebrows and looked at Lucas.

Peyton smirked.

Lucas shook his head, "I'm way too wasted for this."

**"I've been fighting to be who I am all my life. What's the point of being who I am, if I can't have the person who was worth all the fighting for?"**

S.D. Lennox


	8. The Takes Over, The Breaks Over

**"It's being here now that's important. There's no past and there's no future. Time is a very misleading thing. All there is ever, is the now. We can gain experience from the past, but we can't relive it; and we can hope for the future, but we don't know if there is one."**

George Harrison

* * *

"Peyton, your music rocks." Sam said, as she looked through her closet full of old records and CDs, "You don't have a record player, do you? Do those even exist anymore?" She asked as she picked up one of the Fall Out Boy records.

Peyton smirked and met Sam in the doorway of the closet. "Brooke hates it when I crank this thing, but I guess it's a good thing she's not here then, right?" She said, smiling as she took the Fall Out Boy record and placed it on the record player.

"What about Lucas? Isn't he still here?" She asked, walking over to the record player and running her hand along it, smirking.

Peyton rolled her eyes. "He could probably use some good music right about now. Brooke's coming back today and I'm not sure he's completely ready for it." She said as the music started to play. It was The Takes Over, The Breaks Over. She smiled.

"What about you?" Sam asked as they sat on the bed, the guitar riff distantly in the background of their conversation. "Are you ready for Brooke to get back? And for Lucas to declare his love for her all over again?"

Peyton gave Sam a curious look.

"I read the book, okay?" Sam said with a sigh. "I read Unkindness of Ravens. I'm sorry, I really tried not to. I really didn't want to know all that stuff, but I saw it there on the shelf and I noticed there were three copies. You guys own three copies of that book so I figured it had to be good. I read it…and it was, it was good." She smirked, "You really loved him, didn't you?"

Peyton nodded slowly, "Yea. Brooke and I both did at some point. And if he loves her, they should get the chance to be happy together." She shrugged.

"But when do you get to be happy?"

Peyton smiled, "When I find a boy in this town to date whose last name isn't Scott." She said, rolling her eyes. "Now shut it, you're ruining the song." She said as she walked over and turned the volume up to a deafening volume.

By the time the song was ending, Lucas was banging on the door. "Will you turn that down? I'm trying to write!" He called through the door.

Peyton pulled the door open. "Music is inspiring. Come listen with us for a little while. It'll get your creative juices flowing, maybe even calm your nerves a little bit." She said, grabbing his arm and pulling him into the room.

Sam looked at Lucas as the next song started to play, "By the way, I read your book." She called over the loud music, "Interesting style, not really mine, but I do have to say it's a good story. And I thought it was funny to see how everyone used to be in high school."

Peyton tilted her head, "It's not like we're that different."

"Oh my god, you did not just say that." Sam shook her head and pointed at Lucas, "He used to be a tortured athlete who'd never had a girlfriend before." She pointed at Peyton, "You used to be the obsession of a crazy stalker, you used to draw and have a webcam in your room that was on all day." She gave her a look. "All day? Kind of kinky."

Peyton shook her head. "It wasn't like that."

Sam smirked, "Okay." She said, "Moving on. Brooke used to be a slut, party girl with low self esteem. Nathan used to be some kind of villain and Ms. James-Scott used to be nerd, not surprising, and also a rock star, very surprising." She smiled, "Face it. You've changed, probably more than you've ever thought you would."

"Very wise for her age." Lucas commented to Peyton.

Peyton shook her head in response. "More like a smart ass."

Sam smiled a cheeky smile, "I'm pretty excited for Brooke to get back. No offense, but neither of you can cook like she can, plus, she took all her good movies with her too." She shook her head, "I can't believe she said she was leaving for a few days, it's been what…?"

"A week and half." Lucas answered, "Almost two."

Peyton looked over at him, "Have you talked to her at all?""

Lucas sighed and shrugged. "I left her a bunch of messages, caught her on the phone once, but we only talked for a few seconds before she hung up on me. I really screwed up." He said sadly. "Again."

Sam walked over to them. "May I?"

Lucas nodded, "Please. Any advice would be appreciated."

"Dude, you're smothering her. I say, give her some space, let her think things over and then, just tell her how you feel. Don't talk about the past or what you did or she did, tell her what you feel now." Sam said with a shrug, "In a perfect world, that would be enough."

"In a perfect world?"

Sam shrugged, "Or any world." She corrected, "Whatever. Just spill it to her, alright? That's my advice. Take it or leave it." She said before walking out of the room.

"The mouth on that one." Peyton muttered to Lucas, shaking her head.

He nodded and shrugged, "But she's right. That's what I'm gonna do. When she gets back, I'll let her unpack and I'll give her the night to think and then tomorrow, I fight."

Peyton nodded.

A few moments later, Sam re-entered the room, her phone in her hand. "Just got a text from Brooke. They just landed and they're on their way home. Apparently, she has a plus one." She said, giving Lucas a look.

He tilted his head. "A plus one?"

"She brought someone back with her, apparently he's an old friend of one of you…I don't know. But he's coming here about business." Sam raised her eyebrows. "Business?" She rolled her eyes. "Yeah right, I guess Brooke's slutty days aren't over."

Lucas heart dropped. "She's bringing a guy back with her?"

Peyton rubbed his back, "Hey. You know Brooke, it's probably just someone to make you jealous, alright? You know how she works. She wouldn't dare come back here alone. Don't let it get to you. Stick to your plan."

Lucas nodded slowly.

"Anyway…" Sam continued, "She said they'll be home in 15 minutes. And I got the text 5 minutes ago, so 10 minutes now. Maybe we should clean up a little." She said, glancing backwards at the pile of laundry sitting outside the laundry room, waiting to be washed.

Peyton walked over to the record player and turned the music off. "Sam's right. Come on, Lucas. Let's tidy up, we have a guest to impress." She said with a smirk, "But hey…" She said, "Worst comes to worst, we'll just pretend we're back together. That should get Brooke to snap out of it."

Lucas laughed lightly. "Yea." He said before following her out of the room and starting to clean up slowly.

The trio went around the house, doing their best to clean everything before the owner of the house got home. Just as they all regrouped in the living room, they heard footsteps on the front porch.

"Quick, how do I look?" Lucas asked, tucking in his shirt sloppily.

Peyton rolled her eyes, "You're such a girl." She said with a smile before reaching up and fixing a piece of hair that was sticking up. "You look like a hotshot, okay? Now, just calm down."

Lucas took in a deep breath and watched as the front door came open.

Jamie rushed in first, carrying six shopping bags, three on each arm. He ran to Lucas and gave him a hug, "Uncle Lucas!" He exclaimed, hugging him. And when he was done, he moved to Peyton. "Aunt Peyton!" He hugged her too.

"Hey dork, what's in the bags?" Sam asked, giving him a high-five.

Jamie grinned, "Lots of clothes that Aunt Brooke bought and a sweet new pair of shoes for me." He said, nodding.

"Looks to me like someone picked up Brooke's line." Lucas said, assuming.

Jamie nodded excitedly, "Yea! She said they were going to put her clothes in stores again!" He said, "And she got really happy and bought a lot of stuff."

Brooke rushed in a few moments later, eyes as bright as ever. "Oh my god. You guys are never going to guess what happened."

"Let me guess." Sam said with a smirk, "Your new line got picked up."

Brooke nodded quickly, "I'm not the owner of the company that picked it up, but they're gonna put it in stores this season and sell it via Brooke Davis, not Clothes Over Bros. Brooke Davis. I'm free!" She exclaimed, "I'm free of Bitchtoria forever!" She rushed in and hugged Sam tightly before moving on to hug Peyton as well. She looked at Lucas and nodded awkwardly at him before walked back over to Jamie and helping him with the bags. "And I brought presents."

"And a friend?" Peyton asked, tilting her head and watching the open door.

Brooke's smile faded quickly, "Oh yea…that's not. I mean, we're not together. I just met him in New York, he said he wanted me to design for him and…then he said he knew you so we flew back together." She said, looking at Peyton. "Please don't hate me."

Peyton raised an eyebrow and then looked up as a figure entered through the doorway. She shook her head, knowing who it was almost immediately. "Oh god." She said quietly.

Brooke stood next to Peyton. "I'm sorry." She bit her lip. "But he said he wanted to talk to Lucas."

Lucas looked up at the guy. He was tall, dark and handsome with light brown hair and a large, white grin on his face. He walked into the house, confidently, smugly and approached Peyton.

"Long time, no see." The man said, smirking. "It's good to see you, Peyton." He opened his arms for a hug.

She didn't move.

"What are you doing here, Julian?"

"Wait, Julian?" Lucas asked, joining the conversation. "Julian Baker?"

Julian looked over at Lucas and nodded, extending his hand to him. "That's me. It's good to finally meet you in person." He said with a smile as they shook hands.

Brooke and Peyton both watched, confused.

Lucas looked at them and explained, "Julian is a producer, as you both probably know and he called me a few weeks ago and asked if I wanted to make my book a movie. And at first I thought it was a bad idea, but…"

"You changed your mind." Peyton sighed.

Lucas nodded, "It'll be good for me. I need a change of scenery and he sounded like he had a good plan prepared to make the movie big." He shrugged, "I didn't know you knew him."

Peyton bit her lip. "We dated in LA, after you proposed."

"What? Proposed?" Sam asked, from the back of the room.

Brooke shot a look back at the teenager. "I'll explain later."

"I dated him and then he broke up with me and slept with some celebrity slut two days later." Peyton said bitterly, "Man whore."

Julian smirked and shook his head, "Moving on, I met Brooke in New York, what are the odds that I would meet both of the girls you slept with in high school before I even got the chance to meet you? Anyway, we started talking and I told her you were making the movie and I asked her to design and she said yes. So here we are." He looked at Peyton.

But Peyton was looking at Brooke.

"I'm sorry." Brooke said, "But you never told me about him. You'd think after four years of not talking you would have mentioned that when you filled me in again." She shrugged, "The point is…you can't be mad at me. I didn't know he was your ex. And I don't have anything else to do right now, so I took the job. It's not a crime."

Peyton sighed, realizing her friend was right. "No, you're right." She said quietly. "I guess I'll be civil, for you and Lucas." She said to Brooke, shooting a glare at Julian. "But god, if I could I would go off on you so hard right now."

"That sounds dirty."

Sam laughed in the background.

"Well this has all been fun." Lucas said sarcastically, "Are you staying here, Julian?" He asked, counting the rooms in his head. He wasn't sure if there was one more left or not.

Brooke stepped in, "No. He's staying at a hotel. Speaking of that, I should go drop him off." She said, smirking. "Come on, Julian. Say bye."

"Yes, ma'am." Julian said, a grin on his face. He looked over at Peyton, "Bye for now." He said and then he followed Brooke out the front door.

They all watched them go and once the door was shut and they were gone, it was silent for a moment. They were all overwhelmed with what had just happened.

"They're not…?" Lucas asked, wondering if Brooke and Julian were together or not, "Are they?"

"Oh, definitely." Sam answered from where she was sitting behind them.

Peyton looked back at her.

"What?" Sam asked, "Didn't you see the looks in their eyes? How satisfied they looked? I bet they probably haven't slept together yet, but there's a connection. And I hate to say this pretty boy," she looked at Lucas, "but they did have a 3 hour plane ride to talk. And now, they have a whole movie production to bond too."

Lucas sighed and leaned against the kitchen counter. "How are you?" He asked, looking over at Peyton.

She shrugged, "I'm okay. I'm over him now. It just makes me angry how he's obviously trying to get under my skin, you know? It's annoying."

Lucas nodded.

Peyton looked over at him, "So are you gonna stick with the plan?" She asked curiously, "Or are we winging it now?" She asked.

Lucas shrugged, "Definitely winging it."

After that, Sam, Peyton and Lucas helped Jamie unpack his stuff, started his laundry and also started preparing a late dinner because none of them had eaten yet.

"I hate to say this, I really do, but that producer guy was really cute." Sam said as she sat at the kitchen counter with Jamie while they watched Peyton and Lucas cook.

Peyton and Lucas both shot her an annoyed look.

Sam put her hands up. "What are you giving me that look for Peyton? I mean, you obviously agree with me if you fell for him at one point." She said with a shrug. "But then again you fell for Lucas too…so your taste in men is questionable."

Lucas feigned a hurt expression. "I'm hurt." He said, rolling his eyes. "But obviously I'm as attractive as that guy because the two girls that fell for him, also fell for me." He pointed out.

"Yea because you're boy-next-door, husband material, a guy you can bring home to your parents, but that guy was hot, a guy you can have some fun with and then bring to meet your parents the next day too." Sam said, "Speaking of that, Brooke's been gone for an hour and a half."

Peyton smirked, "Oh please. Julian would not last for that long."

Lucas shook his head, "That's gross. They're probably just talking and getting checked in and stuff, alright? She barely knows him, she wouldn't just sleep with him like that…" He said.

Sam shrugged, "Who knows? You hurt her pretty bad. So bad that you brought back her inner-slut." She said smirking.

Lucas rolled his eyes, "You really are a pain."

Sam smiled, "I don't know. Jamie, what do you think?" She asked, turning to the small boy that was sitting at the stool next to her. "Do you think Aunt Brooke and Julian have something together?"

Jamie shrugged, "I think they like each other, but I don't think if _like, like _each other." He said, smiling. "But Julian is funny, I like him. And Aunt Brooke thought he was funny too."

Sam nodded slowly and then shrugged.

"He's just funny." Lucas shrugged, "I can totally beat that."

Peyton raised an eyebrow, "Can you? I mean, you're cute, but funny? I don't know. I mean, maybe a chuckle here and there, but full on laughing…?" She shrugged.

Lucas turned around to look at her, "Wow. Is it make fun of Lucas day? God, I take care of you girls for two and half weeks, I bring home the bacon and this is how you repay me? With cheap, hurtful comments?"

"So sensitive." Sam said, smirking.

Lucas rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to give a snarky reply, but was interrupted by the sound of the front door coming open. He looked up just in time to see Brooke coming through the doorway, a smile on her face and a few more shopping bags in her arms.

"You look happy with yourself." Sam said as she walking, glancing at Lucas.

Brooke nodded and set down her bags on the couch as she walked over. "Yea, I just got a call from my some of the executives at Clothes Over Bros, apparently they're struggling. They said they needed me back, but you know what I did?" She smiled, "I said no. I don't need them. I don't need that stupid company and my mom breathing down my neck, I'm doing just fine on my own."

"Good for you, Brooke." Peyton said, "It's about time that you do something for yourself." She smiled.

Brooke nodded happy, "God, it feels so good." She said, "Oh and I'm sorry about Julian, Peyton. I really had no idea that you two were together. He said he knew Lucas and wanted to talk to him so I offered to fly back with him."

Peyton shrugged, "It's fine, Brooke." She said smiling, "But what took you so long. The hotel is right down the street and you were gone for an hour and a half, almost two hours." She smirked.

Brooke shrugged, "I stayed and talked to him for a while, figured out when we should meet this week to talk about the designs. And then when I was leaving, I got the call and it took a long time to get all of that figured out." She smirked, "Sorry."

Peyton shook her head, "No worries."

"So how was New York?" Sam asked, "Was it glamorous?" She asked, sarcasm in her voice.

Brooke rolled her eyes, "As always, yes. I saw Woody Allen and I swear I saw Jennifer Aniston too. I mean, Julian said it wasn't her, but men don't know celebrities like women do, you know? So there was that. And then, I took Jamie to Central Park, Grand Central Station, Times Square, The Empire State Building, I think he had a really good time, right Jame?"

Jamie nodded happily, "And we went to the Toys-R-Us there too! It was huge, it had so many stories and there was a Ferris wheel inside! It was awesome. Aunt Brooke rode it with me, it was so cool." He said, grinning.

"_And_, we also drove down to Pittsburgh for a couple of days and saw Haley perform, which was really fun. And then we went out to dinner with Nathan and Haley and they got to see Jamie..." Brooke said, smiling.

Jamie nodded, "Look they signed my cast!" He lifted it on to the table and showed them his parent's signatures on his cast. "And the concert was awesome. My mom let me go on the stage with her."

Brooke smiled and walked over, ruffling Jamie's hair.

"We didn't know you went and saw Nathan and Haley." Peyton said, "Why didn't you ever call us? I mean, you did call and say you were going to be longer than a few days, but after that we didn't hear from you until yesterday."

Brooke sighed and nodded, sitting down next to Jamie. "Yea, I know. I'm sorry, I was just kind of wrapped up in my own little world and it just slipped my mind." She glanced at Lucas, "Sorry about that."

Peyton nodded slowly.

"So what have you guys been up to?" Brooke asked, leaning over the counter.

Peyton shrugged, "Mia finished another album and we set a date for it to drop." She smiled, "And Sam got sent to the principal's office for stealing out of the vending machines at school."

Brooke gave Sam a look.

Sam put her hands up, "Okay, okay. I did do that, but I didn't get in that much trouble, I paid the money I owed back and then a few days later, one of my essays was chosen to be sent to Washington DC for a national writing contest." She said, knowing that news would make Brooke forget about the visit to the principal's office.

"What?" Brooke asked, standing up and walked over to Sam, "That's so great!" She said excitedly, hugging Sam quickly, "Which essay was it?"

"The one I wrote about my life."

Brooke nodded and smiled, "That one was good, I remember." She shook her head, "You definitely have this in the bag, I'm telling you." She said, "I'm so proud of you, that's amazing, Sam."

Sam nodded slowly, "Thanks." She said, modestly.

"Sounds like you guys had fun while we were gone." She smiled, "Glad you didn't miss us too much."

Peyton smirked and nodded, "I guess we kind of missed you. The house was kind of quiet without you two trouble-makers running around." She shrugged.

Brooke chuckled lightly, "Well the food smells pretty good, but I think I'm gonna head to bed early, I'm so tired and jet lagged. I'll see you all tomorrow." She smiled, "Don't forget we're going to see Mouth tomorrow morning, Jamie!" She called over her shoulder as she walked down the hall towards her bedroom.

"Okay!" Jamie grinned.

Lucas locked eyes with Peyton, "Here goes nothing." He said quietly before putting his spoon down and following Brooke down the hallway, heart racing. What should he say? What would he start with? Would she even take the time to listen? "Brooke." He said, gulping.

She had just reached her bedroom door when Lucas approached. Slowly, she turned, her hand still on the door handle. She looked over his shoulder at everyone in the kitchen, pretending to be busy. "Lucas." She said blankly.

"It's been two weeks." He announced slowly, "And I've had a lot of time to think and I just…I realize that I was jackass that night when we argued. I…said some things and I'm so sorry, but I just want to move past it."

"Lucas…"

"No, Brooke." Lucas said, cutting her off. "I can't do this. I can't pretend like we're okay because we're not. And I want to be. I thought about you every day when you were gone. Brooke, you're so…you…I can't get you out of my head. And I don't want you out of my head. You and I, we work so well together. You make me laugh and you always listen to what I have to say and I love that, so much and I miss it." He paused, "I miss you so much that it hurts, Brooke. Shouldn't that mean something?"

Brooke let out a small sigh. "Lucas, this is exactly what I was talking about." She said, "You say you think you're falling for me one night and then the next, you're sleeping with other girls, yelling at me, telling me that I'm not worth it. Just face it, you don't know what you want." She said with a shrug, "And it's not fair for you to pull me in to that." She turned her door handle and started to enter her room.

Lucas grabbed her arm, lightly. "Brooke, I do know what I want." He said, "You. I want you. That night, I was drunk and hurt and stupid. But I want you."

She pulled her arm out of his grasp and looked up at him, "I meant what I said that night, Lucas. I'm done with you, for good." And then she turned and entered her room, shutting the door quietly behind her.

* * *

**"So it's true, when all is said and done, grief is the price we pay for love."**

E.A. Bucchianeri

* * *

**A/N: **Hey everybody! So I feel really bad about posting these chapters kind of late. I've been really busy for the past couple of weekends and I said I would try to post them every Friday, but I just haven't had the time so I'm sorry and I decided that after I posted this chapter once I get 10 reviews or more ;), I'll post another chapter sometime this week because I've been so late about it lately. If you're still reading, thank you so much! And I promise I'll try to be more on the ball haha. Don't forget to review! - once we hit 85, I'll post chapter 9! P.S. Chaper 9 is a really weird and interesting one that I think you'll like so review! Haha. Thanks.


	9. Lovesick Fool

**Disclaimer: **The last couple paragraphs of this chapter are actually from the show. I didn't write them, the writers for the show did, but they fit so perfectly that I had to use them. :)

* * *

**"I write to give myself strength. I write to be the characters that I am not. I write to explore all the things I'm afraid of. "**

Joss Whedon

* * *

_I feel like I've seen it all. Everything, the world, the cities, the landmarks, the people. I've seen it all. My mind is bursting with all the memories I made on my trip, the long lasting impressions I got of people and places. I realized that there was a strange unity among us, people, something that brought us all together. Not money, or backgrounds, or opinions, it was compassion. One man looking at another and thinking, I wonder what it would be like to walk in his shoes. I'm sure many people looked at me like that, watching me, criticizing me, but it was the people who sympathized with me that were the heroes on my journey. This story, my story, isn't orthodox or normal in any way. It's the classic tale of a man struggling to find himself, except rather than finding my inspiration in movies or art or books, I decided to take a different route. Literally. I sold my house, I sold my possessions, I said goodbye to my friends and I started driving. I started in Pasadena, California and I just drove. Whenever I got tired, I stopped, whenever I needed money, I went to an ATM. Whenever I wanted to stop, I did. I started in Pasadena and drove across the northern states, Montana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Vermont, New York, Maine. And then I drove down the east coast via Route 1, Virginia, The Carolinas, Florida, Georgia. God, it was beautiful down there. And then I went across again, Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Mississippi. Once I got to Arizona, I went up towards Colorado and explored the Midwest. _

_I saw America. The small cities, the big cities, the people. They were so real, so kind and I loved that. _

_I started as a man, lost, fearful and alone. And I traveled a journey across the country that ended in discovery of love, of friendship and of myself. _

_Over those 5 years, I saw 48 states, 452 cities, 311 towns, 25 car accidents, 3 robberies and 1 almost-murder. I met too many people to count, 20 doctors, 1 CEO, 13 aspiring actors, 23 writers, 8 journalists, 3 directors, 3 inventors, 36 scientists, 43 homeless men and women, 6 firefighters, 123 business associates, 41 police officers, 25 college kids, 2 politicians and 1 extraordinary girl, hitch-hiking on a dark road, that I would never, ever forget._

* * *

"It's been a few days, how are you?" Peyton asked, walking up behind Lucas as he typed on his computer. She touched his shoulder and squinted at the words on the screen, but he closed his laptop before she got the chance to read it.

He turned around, "Terrible." He said truthfully. "I think she actually means it this time. It's the end and it's my fault, I don't know what to do, Peyton."

Peyton looked down at him, at the man who was always so sure of himself. He looked so lost and sad that she couldn't even bear it. "You'll figure something out." She said quietly, "There's no way that she can deny her feelings for you forever so just keep trying. Don't give up, alright?"

Lucas nodded slowly, "I won't. Not yet."

Peyton smiled, "That's what I like to hear." She said as she sat down on his bed. "So what was that on your computer? It looked pretty promising whatever it was." She said, smirking.

Lucas smiled shyly, "It's just something I've been working on. It's already done, but I'm going through and looking it over again." He explained.

"Need a fresh pair of eyes?"

Lucas smirked, "Not just yet, but the moment I do, I'll let you know." He said.

Peyton nodded slowly, "Can I have a sneak peek? Just to hold me off until you let me read it?" She asked, leaning forward. She looked up at him expectantly.

Lucas rolled his eyes and looked down at her, smiling. "Fine." He said, "The book is called Louisiana Nights." He said slowly, "It's about a guy who travels all over the US, going through all the cities until he meets a girl in Louisiana and falls in love with her."

"Louisiana Nights?" Peyton asked, smiling. "Sounds good, has a nice ring to it. Just let me know when you're done, I'm excited to read it already." She said before standing up and walking towards the door, "I'm going to work. I'll see you around dinner time. Don't forget Brooke wants you to take Jamie at noon."

"What time is it?" Lucas asked.

Peyton looked down at the watch on her wrist. "11:30."

Lucas sighed and stood up, knowing that he should probably leave to go get Jamie. He followed Peyton out of his room, not looking forward to seeing Brooke. Every time he saw her, it felt like his heart was breaking.

"Hey," Peyton stopped and turned towards him, "just keep trying. She'll come around and when she does, it'll all be worth it, I promise." She said, reaching up and touching his shoulder supportively.

Lucas looked down at her and nodded, "Thanks Peyton." He said, giving her a smile. "You've really been there for me through all of this and I know that can't be easy for you so thank you." He said, giving her a soft kiss on the cheek before moving past her and walking down the stairs.

They walked downstairs together and as they made their way out, they both heard Sam's voice behind them.

"Hey, where are you going?" She asked.

"Studio." Peyton answered.

"Brooke's store." Lucas said.

Sam nodded, moved past both of them and walked out the front door. "I'm going with you, Lucas." She said as she walked down the front porch stairs.

Lucas glanced back at Peyton, confused, but he didn't protest. He just followed her and climbed into the car with her. "Any particular reason you're coming to Brooke's store with me?" He asked, curiously as he pulled out of the driveway.

Sam shrugged, "Being there is way more interesting than being at home." She said blankly, "Got a plan for today or are you still _winging it?" _She asked, a smirk on her face.

Lucas glanced at her as he drove down the road. "Still winging it. Got any advice?"

Sam shook her head, "God, after the cold shoulder she's been giving you for the past few days, I got nothing, I'm sorry. I say just go for it again, give it to her straight." She said with a shrug, "I mean, what do you have to lose?"

"My dignity."

Sam bit her lip, "Are you sure you haven't lost that already?"

Lucas glared at her.

"Sorry." She chuckled lightly, "I'm serious though. Go for it."

Lucas nodded slowly, "Fine. I will. You're right. It's not like I have anything left to lose."

* * *

_I had nothing left to lose. My life was a mess. I had just got laid off. Five years, I had worked at this law firm and they decide to lay me off because of budget cuts. My boss, the day they fired me, that morning I saw him, greeted him and he didn't have the decency to even tell me that later that very same day I was going to be fired. _

_My boss' assistant walks up to me a few hours later with a paper in his hand. He glanced down at it briefly before he spoke, "Jack Morrison?" He didn't even know my name, but I just nodded. A lot of people in the firm didn't know my name, I was just a paralegal, an associate, assistant to all the lawyers, they didn't need to know my name. _

_"I'm sorry." He said, "Due to recent budget cuts, we are being forced to trim our staff. And unfortunately, because you are not a vital instrument to this firm, we going to have to let you go. You have two days to clean out your things, but by Monday, you should be gone. Here is a release form," He handed me a slip of paper, "please fill this out and bring it back tomorrow. I'm sorry again."_

_I looked up at him. In that moment, in that one, stupid, fleeting moment, I was so angry at that guy. He didn't know me. He didn't know how hard I worked or the bills that I had to pay. He didn't know me and he didn't have the right to fire me. I wanted to tell him off, to yell at him, but he walked away before I could. And when I look back at that moment, I'm glad that he did. Yelling at him wouldn't have fixed anything._

_When I left that day, I was so lost and sad. What was I supposed to do with my life? I never wanted to be a paralegal. I went to school for business and ended up in a law office. I realized my life was way off track. Should I go back to school? Become a lawyer? Or a businessman? I was only 22, I definitely had time to do either of those things. Or did I want to start a family? Fall in love? Would I even be able to?_

_I realized that everything I had was superficial. My stupid apartment, my furniture, my TV, phone, computer. I didn't need any of it. The only thing I had in my life that I actually valued was my car. _

_It was a red 1988 Mustang convertible. I'd had it since I graduated college and I loved that car. Through all the ups and downs in my life, it had been there, it had helped me get away and then I realized that was what I needed to do:_

_Get away. _

_So after I sold my apartment, my furniture, my TV, my phone, and all the rest of my superficial things, I started to drive. Just me, my crappy 1988 Mustang convertible and a journal._

* * *

"Hey Luke." Millie greeted as he and Sam walked in, she smiled and walked up to them. "Haven't see you two in a while, how have you been?" She asked, eyes bright, smile big.

Sam shrugged and walked past Millie, "Depends on if there's any food in this store."

"We just ordered pizza."

Sam grinned and past the desk towards the back offices, "Then I'm great!" She called over her shoulder as she disappeared around the corner.

Millie laughed lightly and then turned to Lucas, "What about you? How have you been?" She asked as she walked with him to the front desk.

Lucas shrugged, leaning against the desk. "Have you talked to Brooke about me already?"

Millie glanced at the ground for a moment and then nodded slowly, "I have."

"Then you probably already know how I'm doing." He smirked, "What about you and Mouth? How is that going?" He asked with a smile.

Millie nodded, "We're doing okay. He just offered a job in Omaha and he doesn't know if he's gonna take it yet. If he does, I can't go with him because I'm helping Brooke so I don't know what's going to happen…" She shrugged, conflicted.

Lucas shook his head, "I know Mouth. He's not the kind of guy that would give up on love that easily, he'll figure something out, trust me. I'm sure you two will be fine." He said, rubbing her arm.

"I'm sure you two will be fine too." Millie said, referring to his relationship with Brooke.

Lucas nodded, he hoped so. "Speaking of that, I have an embarrassing, but completely necessary love-speech to give. Is Brooke around?" He asked, looking around slowly.

Millie chuckled lightly. "She's actually in a conference call right now, but she should be done soon so if you want some pizza…I'm sure Sam has already helped herself so…" She smiled.

"That'd be great." Lucas said.

Millie nodded and lead him into the back room where they found Sam, halfway through her second piece of pizza.

* * *

_I'd been on the road for 492 days and I was finally out of Mississippi. I had no idea why, but it took an abnormally long time to get through that state. Maybe it was because of the scenery, it had been so grassy and empty that maybe it just felt like a longer time than it was. But I was finally in Louisiana. I'd been waiting to get to that state for so long. I'd heard of the thick, beautiful culture there and I was excited to see it. _

_It was night when I crossed the state line. I was listening to an old, country song that I'd learned while I was in Mississippi. I remembered walking down the street in Jackson and hearing a young guy playing the song on his guitar, his voice raw, the chords strong. And now, as I passed into a new state, because of that song, I had the remnants of the last still with me._

_I turned off of the interstate, the road map told me there was another road parallel to the interstate that ran through many more towns and took a lot more time, but I didn't care. I didn't have anywhere to be. So I drove down that road, passed through a few dark, dead towns and turned the radio up. It was static for a while so I listened to a Kid Rock CD that I'd bought in South Carolina. I barely knew the songs, but I liked the music._

_The road was dark, the scenery was long, seemingly endless farmland and I was alone. That was, until I saw a figure walking on the side of the road. _

_The first thing I saw was her hair. It was short and brown, falling just below her shoulders. It was mostly straight with a few natural curls and it shined through the darkness when the light from my headlights hit it. I slowed down. She had a tight figure, not paper thin, but curvy with a smooth hourglass figure that was highlighted by the short white tank top that she wore above her tight, blue jeans. I admired the simple outfit and the way that she walked in it with such buoyancy. Without even seeing her face, I knew that she was confident._

_And then she noticed the headlights and turned, her face…I can still remember exactly how she looked the first moment that I saw her. Her mouth was curved into a small smile, showing her straight, white teeth and the small dimples on her cheeks. And her eyes, even through the darkness, I could tell they were green, a deep shade of green that reminded me of the leaves of trees in the middle of summer. And then she lifted her hand and waved. _

_I slowed even more until I was stopped next to her._

_My top was down and she walked over to my car, leaned over the side and flashed me her smile again. "Can I have a lift?" She asked, voice soft and raspy in a unique way that I had never heard before. _

_I smiled, "Only if you tell me your name first."_

_The girl smiled, blinked and then replied, "What if I told you I didn't have one?"_

_"Then I would think you were a fugitive." I answered because truthfully, that was what I had been thinking. There was no other explanation for walking down the side of the road alone and refusing to tell someone your name. "Or worse." I added just for the sake of flirting. _

_The girl smirked, "It's Kate."_

_"Are you lying?"_

_ The girl, Kate, shook her head. "Not lying, I promise."_

_And I believed her, but I would come to find out a few weeks later that, despite her promise, she actually had lied, straight to my face._

_But without knowing that then, I let her into my car and we drove. It was silent at first, but then she asked me where I was going and I went on to explain my story to her and I expected her to return the favor, but after I was finished, it was silent again. She obviously didn't want me to know. The Kid Rock CD played uncomfortably in the background and we sat in a stony silence. I glanced at her as she sat leaned back, calmly, comfortably in my car and even though it was too late to do anything about it, I started to wonder if she actually was some kind of fugitive._

_Or worse._

* * *

"Hey Brooke, can I talk to you?" Lucas asked after Brooke had gotten out of her conference call and grabbed a piece of pizza. He hoped that this time when he talked to her they could do it in private.

Brooke looked up from the pizza she had sitting on the plate in front of her, "Not this again." She said quietly, looking up at him.

Lucas shrugged, "I'll do it every day if that's what it takes."

Brooke looked around and noticed everyone else in the room had fallen into an uncomfortable silence. She sighed, "Come on." She said as she walked to the stairway that led to the roof, but she didn't go all the way, she stopped halfway and turned to him expectantly, the plate of pizza in her hand.

"I don't know what you want from me, Brooke." Lucas said, shaking his head. "I've tried apologizing, telling you how I feel, telling you the truth, and I just don't know what I need to do to win you back."

Brooke stared down at him, "Lucas. What you said, I can't let it go." She shook her head, "What's that saying? About people saying the truth when they're drunk?" She asked.

Lucas hated that he knew the answer. "Drunk minds speak a sober heart." He answered, "But that's not what happened that night. I was angry and bitter and I was just trying to hurt you. I know I shouldn't have, but I'm sorry. And I can't take it back, I wish I could."

Brooke sighed, "Lucas, I don't want to talk about what happened that night anymore, it's irrelevant. I just don't think I want to have this with you again. Every time I even start to think that it might work, I get hurt. And I'm done being the one that gets hurt."

"I won't hurt you this time, Brooke, I won't."

Brooke shook her head. "You said that last time." She said, her voice soft. "This doesn't work, okay? It never has, it never will."

Lucas gazed up at her, he could see the hurt in her eyes and his heart ached, but he had to ask the question that had been bugging him for days. "What's going on with you and Julian?" He asked, "And don't say nothing because you've been out every night with him and I can see that look in your eyes when you're with him."

"I'm not going to lie to you." Brooke said firmly, "I kissed Julian." She paused, "And I think I like him and I need to move on from you, Lucas. All these years, I've been getting over you and now you've just pulled me back in."

"So you're using Julian as some kind of rebound?"

Brooke shook her head, "No. I'm moving on. And you should too."

"Never." Lucas said firmly. "I'm going to keep trying. Every day until you think I'm so annoying that you have to go out with me again." He told her, "You'll see. You and Julian."

"Lucas, he makes me happy." Brooke said suddenly, "You used to make me happy. We used to laugh, we used to have so much fun, but after all of this, I can't have that with you anymore. And Julian is there and he's…I like him, I do."

Lucas looked up, "Do you love him?"

"I think I could."

"Do you love me?"

Brooke closed her eyes and then looked down at the ground, "Love…" She said slowly, "I haven't felt that since senior year. I probably don't even know what that feels like anymore."

Lucas shook his head, "Brooke. Do you love me?"

"Lucas, I'm not doing this with you." Brooke tried to move past him, but he stood in her way.

He stared at her, gaze firm. "Answer the question."

Brooke let out a long sigh. "I think I could love you." She said softly, "But I don't want to." She added before pushing past him and making her way down the stairs.

* * *

_It took us weeks to get through Louisiana and this girl, she was…she was something. And I fell, hard. Her hair, her eyes, her personality. She was simple, smart, mean, playful, and quiet. Like me, she enjoyed the silence of the ride. But I still had no idea who she was, the only thing I did know was that she wanted to get out of Louisiana, desperately, which only strengthened my fugitive theory even though she insisted she was trying to get to San Antonio to live with her aunt._

_It wasn't until we reached Morgan, Louisiana that I finally found out who she was._

_"So, Jack, mysterious traveler, what has been the most interesting place that you've visited so far?" Kate asked me as we drove down one of the back, deserted roads on the countryside. _

_I thought for a moment. I wanted to say Louisiana, because it was beautiful and that had been where I'd met her, but I got the feeling she didn't feel the same way so I went with a safer choice. "I really loved South Carolina. It was gorgeous and there was so much history and the people there were so nice and hospitable. It was refreshing." I told her and then, thinking I would get no reply, I asked, "How about you?"_

_"I've never been outside Louisiana." She told me._

_I nodded and offered up another question, "Then what makes you want to leave all of a sudden?"_

_She didn't look at me, "Long story."_

_"In case you haven't noticed, I don't have anywhere else to be." I said with hope that maybe, she would finally tell me her story, let me find out what was underneath because I couldn't stand not knowing anymore. _

_She looked up at one of the road signs as we passed, "Morgan, Louisiana."_

_I looked up and saw the name just before we rode past._

_"That's where I'm from." She said quietly, "It's also the town that I'm named after."_

_"But-"_

_She smirked, "I know I lied to you and that I promised I wasn't lying and all that stuff, but…I just didn't want to be associated with that town." She said softly, "I'd lived there my whole life and I loved being there more than anything. It's beautiful and small and its home. Or at least it was."_

_"What happened?"_

_Morgan shook her head and looked out over the countryside that was rolling by. "I was married. It was a small town, I had a high school sweet heart and the moment we could, we got married just for the sake of being married. I loved him more than anything. His laugh, his smile, everything about him." She said, "And then one night, at 3 in the morning, I got the call. There had been an accident, he'd been t-boned. I went down to the hospital, but it was too late. He died in the ambulance before they even got there."_

_My heart dropped._

_"They said that the guy who hit him was drunk and that __**he**__ would survive. They told me I could sue or get him arrested, but I…" She shook her head, "I didn't. And then, after that, the town just wasn't the same. For everyone else, the world kept spinning, but I was just stuck…standing still. I had to get out of there, so I did. I got a job in a few other cities and towns, but nothing stuck. So I started walking and I've been hitch-hiking ever since."_

_It was quiet for a couple minutes until I finally figured out what I was going to say, "I'm so sorry." I started, obvious choice, "And I promise I'll do my best to help you get as far away from this state as I can."_

_Morgan smiled and looked over at me, "Thanks." She paused, "You know, when I was walking down that road in the dark that night, I thought I was going to end up dead in a ditch somewhere or sitting awkwardly with some truck driver, but instead, I got you. There must be someone up there looking out for me." She looked up at the sky. _

_I smiled at her. And when she said that, for the first time, I thought that it might actually be possible for this beautiful, complicated, and extraordinary girl to love me back._

* * *

Julian was sitting in his hotel room, alone, as he spent most of his time. He looked over the drawings Brooke had given him for the costumes. He smiled as he looked over the gently sketched lines, they were unbelievable. He looked over the designs labeled, "Brooke Davis" and smiled. The clothes reminded him of her, he could tell that she had been just as confident back then as she was now.

A knock at the door woke him from his thoughts.

He glanced down at his watch, it was 3:30. As far as he knew, he wasn't supposed to be having any visitors. Slowly, he walked to the door and pulled it open. And before he could even react, in stormed Brooke.

"Well hello." He said, surprised.

Brooke trudged through his room. "I am so pissed off right now!" She exclaimed as she paced at the foot of his bed.

Julian sat down on his bed and watched her, amused. "Obviously." He said with a smirk.

Brooke shook her head, "First Lucas gives me another 'I want you so bad' speech, then my mom shows up and tries to guilt trip me into coming back to the company with all this stuff about how she's my mom and people will lose their jobs and then the hospital called and told me that I have stitches that need to be removed and then I remembered I had to pay the hospital bills because my insurance didn't cover it…" She rambled, "What am I going to do?"

Julian raised his hand, "Permission to speak?"

Brooke looked over at him, as if, for the first time, realizing that he was sitting there. "Sure." She said as she paced past him.

Julian nodded slowly, "First, you need to stop." He stood up, blocking her way and preventing her from pacing anymore. "And sit." He put his arms on her shoulders and sat her down on the bed, "Listen to me. You are Brooke Davis, alright? You know how to handle these problems." He told her, "You know that you're with me now and that what Lucas does or says doesn't matter, and you know you're gonna do the right thing with your company and you know that you have enough money to pay those hospital bills back. You're gonna be okay." He said as he sat down next to her, "And if you want, I can go with you when you get your stitches removed."

Brooke looked up at him, "You'd do that?"

Julian bit his lip, "Actually…I was kind of hoping you'd say no. I have this thing about blood and hospitals." He said, gulping, "I'd probably faint if I went with you."

Brooke shook her head, "Well you already offered and you can't go back on it now." She leaned towards him until their faces were inches apart, "Plus, I think it's about time you face your fear, don't you?"

Julian met her eyes, "Fine." He breathed, "But if I faint, you can't make fun of me."

"I am not agreeing to that."

* * *

_Sparks flew the first time we kissed. _

_We had just crossed into Texas. It was dry there, the terrain starting to become more desertous. I liked the change of scenery and the change of culture. That state, especially, I had noticed how kind and compassionate the people were. Everywhere I went, the people asked where I was going. And when I told them, they would often offer me money or food or just a piece of advice. It was a charming place. _

_It was there, in Texas, that Morgan and I really connected. _

_"You remind me of him." She had said one day, out of nowhere as we were driving down towards the Mexican-American border. _

_I looked over at her, I didn't have to ask who she was talking about. It touched me that she saw some of her old husband in me. She had described him so highly and to think that I would be half the man with that kind of a reputation was extremely humbling. _

_She continued on without waiting for me to say anything. "His name was Matthew." She said quietly, "And he would have loved this, an honest trip through the US, just for the sake of it." She smiled sadly, "He was a people person. He loved to meet people, learn their stories. And I loved him for that." She looked over at him, "I admire what you're doing. You realized your life was off-track and you stepped away and you decided to do something about it."_

_She made it sound a lot more charming than it was, but I was thankful for it anyway. "Thanks." I said, feeling shy all of a sudden. There was something else I wanted to add before the moment passed, "Matthew sounded like a great guy."_

_"He was." She said, smiling lightly before continuing, "And so are you."_

_I glanced away from the road to look at her. I wanted to tell her how I felt right then, but the moment didn't seem right. So we drove on, reached the Mexican-American Border and drove down along the bottom edge of Texas for a few days before reaching the city where everything changed: Corpus Christi. _

_It was beautiful. _

_The beaches were clean, the water was a crystal clear blue and even the city had a charming, alluring quality to it that made it all the more extraordinary._

_Morgan and I stopped there, we parked my car and walked down to the beach. I couldn't believe I was here, on this beach, with a girl like this. My life had completely changed since I'd left my home. For the better? I didn't know. _

_We sat down on the beach and talked until the sun went down. _

_"It's so beautiful here." She said through the darkness, I could barely see her._

_I nodded, "It's weird to think that I would have never known this place existed if I hadn't been fired that day." I said as I looked over the waves. And then I became curious, "Do you believe in fate?"_

_"No."_

_I was surprised by that. For some reason, I expected her to believe in that kind of stuff. "What do you believe in? If not fate, then what?" I asked, suddenly curious about how she was the world. _

_She shrugged and then looked over at me, "I believe that we make our own choices. Sure, I guess our lives could be predetermined, but when you're standing at a dead end and you choose to go left rather than right, to me, it feels like my own choice." _

_I smiled and nodded, looking over the water. "Do you believe you only have one true love?" I asked, curious._

_Morgan sat still for a long time until finally, she spoke. "No." She paused, "I used to think you only get one, like how people say you have 'the one' and then if that doesn't work out, you just settle…but I don't think I believe that anymore. Matthew was the one for me and he's now so the thought that I can't find love again doesn't seem right." She looked over at me, "What do you think?"_

_I looked back at her. I already knew my answer, I just had to pick the right words. Slowly, I replied. "I think love is something you can feel for anyone. Friends, family, 'the one'. But it's not something that happens overnight either. It takes work, compromises, commitment and sometimes it'll feel like it's not worth it." I paused and looked over at her. "Until you look into other person's eyes and you know that you'd do whatever it takes to have them."_

_She stared at me, her eyes big. Her mouth curved slowly into a smile. "I've never met anyone like you before." She said slowly. _

_"I've never met anyone like you before either." I replied, gazing at her. I knew I had to say it then. This was the moment when everything would change. "Morgan, I…I don't know if it's fate that brought us together or choices or God, but all I know is that you changed me. Ever since you got in my car that night, I've been changed. I've gotten to know you and been able to see the world through your eyes and…"I paused, my confidence faltering slightly as she stared at me, "I think I feel something for you."_

_"Something?"_

_"Love." I clarified, though I was pretty sure it was obvious. "I think I'm in love with you, Morgan." I blurted it out without a second thought. I had tossed my feelings out into the open. I watched her for a reaction, but she just sat there, silent. _

_My heart raced in my chest. What was she thinking? Had I just blown it?_

_And then suddenly, her lips were on mine. It happened so quickly, I had barely noticed her leaning forward. And when our lips met, sparks flew. The butterflies in my stomach fluttered and I closed my eyes, admiring the feeling of her soft lips as they brushed so gently against mine._

* * *

Peyton had just gotten home. It was 1:30 in the morning, but she'd been at the studio all night, helping Mia. She was trying to get the chorus for a new song right and it had taken them try after try to finally get it right at 1 in the morning. She was exhausted, but starving so she put a frozen pizza in the oven and sat at the kitchen counter, barely awake.

Slowly, without even knowing it, she drifted off, head on the counter. The pizza probably would have burnt the house down if she hadn't heard a noise at the front door that woke her up.

"No, get out of here." It was Brooke's voice.

"No…" Another voice said, "Can't I just stay? I'm so drunk and so tired…" It was Julian's voice.

Peyton looked up, she could see both of their figures standing in the doorway.

Brooke pushed Julian's chest, but not hard enough for the gesture to be taken seriously. "Oh you're tired? Yeah right, Mr. Grab Ass." She said sarcastically, her words slurring sloppily. "Now get out of here, the hotel's a block away…walk or take the bus or whatever."

"Take the bus? Are you serious?"

Brooke shook her head, "Don't be a baby." She said, reaching into her purse. "Here's a dollar, go crazy." She handed him the bill and then pushed him further out the doorway.

Julian put his arms out, "And here I thought you would offer me a bed to sleep in." He said with a grin. "I've heard the stories…I see the look in your eyes, you want me to stay, you just won't admit it." He said, smirking.

Brooke gave him a hard look, "Go take a cold shower." She smirked before adding, "See you tomorrow." She said before shutting the door and locking it in front of him. She stood there for a moment in front of the door, holding her head against it's cold surface. Slowly, she turned around.

Peyton looked at her. She could see the distant look in her friend's eyes, the slurs in her speech, the way she swayed and stumbled as she made her way towards the kitchen. Brooke was drunk, not even that, she was completely wasted.

"Peyton!" She exclaimed when she saw her friend. "What're you doing awake?"

And then Peyton smelled it, the pizza. She remembered that it was in the oven and she'd fallen asleep. Quickly, she scrambled around the corner and yanked the oven open, pulling the pan out with an oven mitt and then placing it on the stove. "I was hungry." She said to Brooke as she turned the oven off.

Brooke nodded slowly and walked to the back door. "God, it's so pretty outside. Have you ever noticed how pretty it gets outside? It's beautiful." She slurred, pulling the back door open and walking onto the porch.

Peyton followed, amused. "I'm gathering that you had a few drinks after work."

"Just a couple…" Brooke said, gulping.

Peyton chuckled lightly, "With Julian?" She raised her eyebrows, hoping that drunk Brooke would give more details of her relationship with Julian than her sober counterpart.

Brooke shrugged and smiled, "I had to get my stitches removed." She gestured to her back, "And so Julian said he would take me, but he's scared of hospitals so I suggested we get a little tipsy before we go…to calm his nerves." She explained with a laugh, "But don't worry, we weren't this drunk when we were in the hospital. We hit the bar after too."

"Two bar trips, one night." Peyton smirked, "You know you're not 17 anymore, Brooke."

She laughed and rolled her eyes, "Yea I'm 22! My life is good, I mean I'm hitting some bumps, but that's nothing. I'm _Brooke Davis. _Fiercely independent, brave, beautiful Brooke Davis. I'm ready to change the world. Today. Today, Peyton!"

"Are you sure you don't want to get some sleep first?"

"No!" Brooke protested, "I'm wide awake. I feel like I could take on the world." She looked over at Peyton, eyes wide with excitement. "Do you ever just feel like you want to do something crazy?" She asked.

Peyton had a bad feeling about that question, "No." She answered, hoping that would be the right answer, "Especially not when I'm as drunk as you are right now."

Brooke walked over to Peyton and put her hands on her friend's shoulders. "What happened to the P. Sawyer I used to know? The badass P. Sawyer that did crazier things than me."

Peyton gave her a look.

"Okay, maybe not as crazy as the things I did, but you are a badass, P. Sawyer. And we're 22, we're hot, we're single and we have nothing left to lose, right?" Brooke asked, excitement in her eyes again. "So why don't we do something crazy?"

Peyton hated how easily her friend got her to agree to these kinds of things, "Define crazy." She said.

Brooke smiled mischievously, "This crazy." She slipped her heels off and walked past Peyton, "Come on." She went down the back stairs of the house to the dock where she jogged to the end and stopped, looking back at Peyton, who had followed unenthusiastically.

"No." Peyton said as she walked up. "Sharks feed at night."

But Brooke was already slipping off her dress until she was just in her bra and underwear. "P. Sawyer, you have got to learn to have more fun."

Peyton stared at her friend for a long time and then finally slipped her shoes off, "Damn it, Brooke. Why can't I ever say no to you?" She asked as she pulled her clothes off until she was in her bra and underwear too.

Brooke grinned, "I knew you were still in there." She said as she reached out and took her friend's hand, "On three." She said, laughing. "One, two, three." And then she jumped.

And Peyton jumped too.

They both crashed into the cool, black water only to come up a few seconds later, laughing.

"Oh my god, it's freezing!" Brooke exclaimed, "If I was drunk before, I'm definitely sober now." She said, swimming over to her friend. "Thanks for taking the plunge with me, P. Sawyer." She laughed.

Peyton rolled her eyes, "Regretting it. But…you're welcome."

And then they both heard a noise behind them.

"What the hell are you two doing?"

Brooke and Peyton both looked up and there was Lucas, standing at the edge of the dock, his hands in his pockets, his head cocked in curiosity. He looked down at them, "Am I wrong to be confused about what's happening? Or is this normal?"

Peyton laughed.

"We took the plunge." Brooke said, smiling, she was still drunk, no matter how much she tried to deny it. "The question is…is the quiet, "I never have any fun", Lucas Scott man enough to take it too?" She asked, playfully.

Lucas stared down at her, confused by her sudden kindness towards him. "I do have fun."

"Then take the plunge, Lucas." Peyton pushed.

He really didn't want to. The water looked cold and he had just taken a shower, but looking at the two beautiful, half-naked women treading water in front of him, begging him to come in, he couldn't say no. Smiling, he slipped off his shoes, then his pants, then his shirt. And then, in just his boxers, he walked backed up a few steps and then ran to the edge, jumping over both of the girls and making a large splash on the other side of them.

When he came up, they were cheering.

And then, for the first time in the past few weeks, he finally felt like they were friends again.

* * *

_We'd finally reached San Antonio. But I thought nothing of it. We were in love. We were happy. She didn't need to go and live with her aunt anymore, we could travel the world together. Together. I finally had someone that I could use the word together with. And that felt good, especially to me. So when we reached San Antonio in the dead of the night, with Morgan snuggled to my chest, I drove into the city._

_She woke up as we were driving through downtown. And I heard her mumble something. _

_"What?" I asked. _

_"42__nd__ street, it's where my aunt's apartment is." Morgan said, her voice soft. She'd just woke up so she was still pretty groggy._

_My heart dropped, "You're still going to live with your aunt?" I asked, confused. I looked over at her when we were stopped at a stoplight. "Still?"_

_Morgan looked up at me, "I have to." She sat up._

_I shook my head. "No you don't. You can come with me. We can keep driving, we can explore, we can…be in love. Isn't that what you want? A second chance at love?" I asked, trying to say anything to get her to stay with me. _

_But when she looked over at me and met my eyes, I knew. I knew whatever her explanation was, whatever I said to try to get her to say, whatever happened, none of it would matter. She was going to leave. _

_"I want that more than anything." She said, "But…Jack, I can't just drop everything and go with you. My aunt is waiting for me and I have a life waiting for me here. I'm just at a point in my life where I'm not…I'm not ready for this kind of love."_

_I didn't want to hear any more of it. I was hurt, how could she just leave me? After all I'd done for her, after everything we'd told each other…_

_"But I do." She said quietly, "I do love you, Jack. And I know that you love me too, but I don't want you to be with me. I'm small-time, I'm broken, I'm…not the girl you've been waiting for." She told me. _

_I hated her in that moment. She wasn't good enough for me? Is that what she was trying to say? Of course, she was good enough for me. She was the best girl I'd ever met. And in the matter months, she'd changed my life, she'd stolen my heart and now…she was breaking it._

_"Jack." She said suddenly, "You are…you are so special. You'll get over me and you…you'll meet someone so much better, someone so right for you that you'll wonder how it could have ever been possible to love someone else, alright? You're special. And you deserve someone who is as special as you are. And that's just not me."_

_Tears came to my eyes, but I didn't let them fall, not in front of her. "But I love you." I said, trying so hard to understand. _

_She reached up and touched my face, her hand gentle and soft. "I know you do." She said, "But I have to go."_

_So I drove her to 42__nd__ street. I pulled over and even though it broke my heart, I let her go. She said goodbye, she said I could come see her someday, but I didn't say anything back and to this day, I wish I had._

_I just watched her go. _

_It took months to get over her, but eventually…I did. I continued with my trip, started writing, started seeing things differently. I missed her. I missed her so much that it ached sometimes, but I had to move on. And I did. When I finally got back to Pasadena again, I stopped. I was home again. And for the first time in a long time, it actually felt like home. I settled back down, went back to school and got my masters degree in business. I started working in advertisement and I loved it. I finally felt like I was doing something I loved. _

_The same year that I started working in ads, I met the love of my life. She was beautiful, elegant, everything I had ever wished for or looked for. Her name was Kelly. And she was really something, well really…everything. That girl was everything. _

_And we fell in love. _

_Years passed and here I am, 37 years old, married with two annoyingly beautiful children, one boy and one girl. I love my family. But I will never forget the first girl who really broke my heart. Morgan. I never saw her again after that day. And I came to find, a few years after I'd started dating Kelly, that she'd died…overdosed. _

_I felt so guilty, but I didn't know why. If she'd stayed with me then maybe this wouldn't have happened. Maybe if I'd stayed with her. But then I realized that there was nothing I could have done. I couldn't blame myself for something I couldn't control. _

_So from then on, every summer, I would take a trip to Louisiana. First, it had been alone, but after I'd married Kelly and we had children, we took the trip together and once my beautiful daughter asked me why we went there every year and why we went to the small town of Morgan. _

_And I replied, "Because I used to know someone that lived here. And this town, it meant a lot to her. And now, it means a lot to me."_

_I never forgot her, or that trip, or Louisiana. The memories I made on that trip still stick with me today and I'm glad. I had been so lost and scared and confused, but that trip, that girl, it had changed me. _

_There are moments in our lives when we find ourselves at a crossroads; afraid, confused, without a roadmap. The choices we make in those moments will define us for the rest of our days. Of course, when faced with the unknown, most of us prefer to turn around and go back. _

_But once in a while people push onto something better. _

_Something found just beyond the pain of going it alone, and just beyond the bravery and courage it takes to let someone in, or to give someone a second chance._

_Something beyond the quiet persistence of a dream. _

_Because it's only when you're tested that you discover who you truly are. And it's only when you're tested that you discover who you can be. The person you want to be does exist, somewhere on the other side of hard work, faith and belief. And beyond the heartache and fear of what lies ahead._

* * *

**"It is good to love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is well done."**

Vincent van Gogh

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**A/N:** Wow that was fast, I guess you guys really wanted this chapter. Well, here it is. I hope you like it. Our homecoming football game is this Friday so I probably won't post the next chapter Friday. I promise I will Saturday though. Thanks for the reviews! Keep them coming, I love your feedback and ideas!


	10. The Resolution

**"Reading was my escape and my comfort, my consolation, my stimulant of choice: reading for the pure pleasure of it, for the beautiful stillness that surrounds you when you hear an author's words reverberating in your head."**

* * *

Paul Auster

Peyton stared at the printed manuscript sitting in front of her. She looked at the front of it. Louisiana Nights by Lucas Scott. She smiled, shaking her head. It had taken her two days to read it, 257 pages in two days. She couldn't put it down. It was a love story, a journey and she loved every page. And now, she was done. The ending, while sad, was also happy enough to be satisfying. Slowly, she lifted the manuscript off her bed and walked across the hall to Lucas' room.

She knocked lightly on the door.

"Come in." She heard from the other side.

So she reached out and pushed the door open only to find Lucas sitting as his computer, staring at the same manuscript she was holding in her arms. When she walked in, he turned in his chair. "What'd you think?" He asked, seeing the manuscript in her arms.

"Lucas, it was…" She shook her head, "I loved it, I really did. I just can't understand how you come up with things like this."

He shrugged modestly, "I don't know. Sometimes I have dreams and it turns out being a good idea for a book and sometimes, I see people doing things and it inspires me. I really don't know. It's crazy. One minute I'm completely blocked and then suddenly something hits me."

"Or someone." Peyton said as she sat down on his bed.

Lucas gave her a curious look, not sure what she meant.

Peyton shrugged, looking up. "I mean, I don't know if it was on purpose or maybe subconscious, but the girl from the book…" She gestured to the manuscript, "The girl that he fell for sounds a lot like Brooke."

_And the girl he settled for in the end sounds a lot like me, _She thought to herself.

Lucas let out a sigh, "It's like The Comet all over again. So the person I love is coming out in my writing…does that have to follow me around forever? I mean, that's why Lindsay left." He shrugged.

"I know..." Peyton said slowly before changing the subject, "How's it going with Brooke anyway? Made any progress?"

Lucas looked down, "I was really trying at first, but after she started dating Julian, I backed off. I don't know, they seem really happy and they're good together. I just don't know if it's time to give up…or if I ever should."

Peyton bit her lip, "I think she's settling for Julian, Luke. I really do. I mean, sure, they have fun, but I don't think what she has with Julian is serious. It's definitely not time to give up yet." She advised with a small nod.

Lucas sighed and nodded too, "What about you? Anyone new in your life?"

Peyton shrugged, "Here and there. You know Chase is back in town and Brooke set him up with me for your…wedding and he's actually been pretty..." She trailed off, looking for the right word. "Interesting…" She decided on.

Lucas laughed lightly, "Interesting?" His eyes lit up.

Peyton nodded slowly, "Whatever. He's cute, but he is Brooke's ex…so…he might be off limits, I should probably talk to her about that first."

Lucas' eyes widened, "What?" He asked, chuckling, "You're going to ask for permission? She's dating Julian, your ex and you dated me after I dated her. You share guys all the time." He said with a smirk.

"I know, but it's weird. Chase lost his virginity to Brooke and I don't know, maybe he's special to her. Julian wasn't really special to me and she did ask me if it was okay for her to go out with him. So it's only fair if I return the favor." Peyton explained, sighing.

Lucas nodded, "Well…good luck with Chase. He's a good guy, I could see you with him…after you get Brooke's permission." He said with a smile before moving on, "Speaking of that, where is Brooke anyway?"

Peyton glanced at the door, thinking. "I don't know, I thought she was-"

But before she could finish she was cut off by the sound of yelling.

They both paused, listening, able to immediately make out the two distinct voices of Sam and Brooke. They yelled at each other in what seemed like a heated argument for a few minutes and then the front door slammed shut.

Peyton and Lucas exchanged a look, this had been happening a lot lately. They both stood and simultaneously made their way down the stairs where Brooke was standing in the kitchen, quietly venting to Jamie, who sat in front of her.

"She thinks she can walk around here and do whatever she wants because I'm not her real mom, but that's not how it works. It's my house, my rules and she can't just step all over them." Brooke paused and looked at Jamie, "I mean, I'm not _your _real mom, but you do what I say."

Jamie nodded slowly, "Because you're my Aunt Brooke."

"Yes I am. I am your Aunt Brooke. I am _Brooke Davis_ and nobody steps all over Brooke Davis, not even some troubled, over-sexed teenager, isn't that right Jamie?" She asked, looking at him for his input.

Jamie nodded excitedly, "That's right!"

Brooke nodded, satisfied with her talk with Jamie. "Now what do you say we go get ice cream and try to forget about this whole catastrophe?" She asked, walking over and ruffled Jamie's hair playfully.

He laughed and nodded, "Yea!" He said, obviously enthusiastic about the idea of going to get ice cream.

"What catastrophe?" Lucas asked as they approached.

Brooke looked up and launched into the story, "A few minutes ago, I went to Sam's room to _check on her_ and when I walk in, there's a boy in her bed. The moment I started yelling, he climbed out the window. And then Sam and I got into it." She rolled her eyes, "I have rules in this house for a reason. I don't just make them up for fun."

Peyton smirked, "Wow you sound like a mom."

"Because I _am _a mom." Brooke said as walked over to Jamie, "Come on Jame. Want a lift to the car?" She asked as she stood in front of him and bent over slightly.

Jamie laughed and stood up on the chair before stepping carefully onto her back, wrapping his arms around her neck and his legs around her waist. "Aunt Brooke, you're like a horse!" He exclaimed, grinning widely.

Brooke chuckled lightly, "If I'm a horse then what does that make you, Jame?" She asked, smiling. "A prince?"

Jamie laughed happily.

Peyton nodded, "Prince James. Has a nice ring to it." She said with a smile, "So does Brooke, the horse."

Brooke shot her a look.

And then, Jamie, Brooke, Peyton and Lucas all went out for ice cream at the park. And after that, they walked down along the water until it got dark. It was nice outside, not too cold or too hot, it was a crisp, perfect summer night.

"What's your favorite color, Aunt Brooke?" Jamie asked suddenly.

Brooke looked down at him, confused by the randomness of his question. "Why?" She asked, suspiciously as she looked down at him, clutching his hand and swinging it lightly as they walked side by side with Peyton and Lucas walking beside them.

"Because!" Jamie exclaimed, "Whatever your favorite color is says who you are."

"What do you mean?" Brooke asked.

Jamie smirked, "Blue means sad, green means happy, yellow means loud and pink means girly." He said, shaking his head as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Mine's red. And that means I'm brave."

Brooke smiled and looked down at him, impressed by his imagination. She squeezed his hand and thought for a moment, "What if I told you my favorite color was clear?"

"Clear?" Jamie looked up at her, "That's not a color."

Brooke smirked, "Yes it is." She smiled, "And it's perfect because it's honest and defined and transparent, you can see right through it. It doesn't have to be anything or mix with anything. It's just…" She shrugged, "Clear."

Jamie looked up at her, eyes wide with curiosity. "Clear…" He said, considering it. "I guess that can be a color."

"You guess?" Brooke shook his arm, "Well if it is a color, what does it say about me?"

Jamie shrugged, looking up at her, "I don't know I'll have to figure it out. You're the only person I've ever known that thinks clear is actually a color."

Brooke smirked, "Don't you sass me little boy." She said, lifting him off the ground and shaking him playfully before setting him back down on the ground, "What do you guys think? Should we start heading back?"

Peyton nodded, "Yea."

So they headed home and when they got there, they found Sam, looking very distraught, sitting on the couch.

Brooke, immediately concerned, started to make her way over to her, but Sam stood up and backed away before she could.

"Don't." She said, looking at her.

Peyton and Lucas took Jamie upstairs quietly, trying their best not to interrupt the fight or conversation or whatever was about to happen between Brooke and Sam. They just walked up the stairs and left them alone.

"What's wrong?"

"That night…after I stole that shirt from you and I was with my friends, I said some really awful things about you…" She said between her sobs.

Brooke stared at her, confused, "That's okay." She chalked it all up to the fight they'd had earlier.

Tears streamed down Sam's face as she reached into her book bag and pulled a few large pieces of paper and slowly, carefully, she set them on the counter, hands shaking.

Brooke watched her. Those papers, the size, the texture, she knew what they were, even from standing a few feet away, but for the sake of being sure, she approached. And when she looked down and saw her beautiful, once vibrant designs crumpled and dirty, she bit back tears.

"The attack…" Sam said, staring down at the designs, "It was my fault." She said softly.

Brooke couldn't think. Her heart was beating so hard she could barely hear what Sam was saying. Staring down at her designs, she flashed back to that night. When he hit over and over again, when he stole her designs, when he wrecked her store. He'd made her feel numb, lost, depressed. She'd been at a good point in her life and that man had ruined it and why? Because Sam had talked bad about her once...In one instant, her life had changed. It had been turned upside down just because of some stupid shoplifting conflict. She couldn't believe it. But she didn't blame Sam either. She couldn't. Sam was hers…her family and she couldn't blame her for something that someone else did. The man, she blamed him. And she wanted Sam to know that. But when she finally looked up from her designs, Sam was gone.

And then Brooke heard footsteps coming down the stairs. When she looked up, she saw Lucas making his way down and when he turned the corner and walked towards her, concern gleamed in his eyes. "Brooke, what happened?" He looked at the sketches on the counter, confused.

Brooke looked up at him, trying to hold back the tears. What _had_ just happened? She didn't even know how to answer that question. She opened her mouth to give him an answer, but nothing came out. She felt frozen. There were no words to describe how she was feeling.

Lucas, picking up on that, didn't push any further. He just stepped forward and embraced her, wrapping his arms around her and rubbing her back soothingly, "Hey…it's okay." He said gently, not even sure what he was comforting her about.

But she melted into him.

In his embrace, she relaxed and let the tears stream silently down her cheeks. She didn't make a sound, but her head was racing with thoughts: Sam was gone, where did she go? And her mother, had Brooke wrongly accused her own mother of doing something horrible? She'd given up her company just because of that too. All of it, pointless. A few weeks earlier, after her attack, she'd been broken and slowly, she'd been re-building herself in a lot of ways, but when she looked down at the designs and realized what was happening, it was like she was falling apart all over again.

After a while, Brooke pulled away, finally somewhat composed. She looked up at Lucas, wanting to thank him, wanting to tell him just how much it meant to her that he was there, but instead, she just mumbled a quick thank you and headed for the front door.

Lucas walked after her, "Where are you going?" He asked.

She glanced back at him, "I have to find Sam."

"I'm going with you." He said as he grabbed his coat.

But Brooke shook her head, "No." She said softly, "No. I have to do this alone."

And by the look in her eyes, Lucas could tell that she was serious so he hung his coat back up and nodded. "If you need anything…" He gave her a serious look.

"You'll be the first person I call." She said before walking out the door.

Lucas watched her go, a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, but he tried to forget about it and decided to go back upstairs and continue tweaking his novel. In a few days, it would be ready to send off for editing. Personally, he hated that stage, someone else reading and changing his words just didn't feel right, but it was necessary.

After a while of writing, Lucas started to get tired of it so he went downstairs and hung out with Jamie and Peyton for a while. And then they had dinner together. In the back of his mind, Lucas wondered where Brooke was. It had been a long time since she'd left. He tried to forget about it again, but it just kept bothering him. The hours passed slowly, the sun went down and Lucas couldn't hold his worries in anymore.

"Have you heard from Brooke?" Lucas asked as he walked downstairs and joined Jamie and Peyton in the living room again, "Or Sam?"

Peyton looked up and shrugged, shaking her head. "Not since this morning. Where'd they go? Do you know?" She asked, completely oblivious to what had happened earlier.

Lucas shook his head, "I don't know exactly, but Brooke and Sam got into an argument or something and Sam left. Brooke was pretty shaken up and she said she was going to go find Sam. I volunteered to go with her, but she said she had to do it alone. It's been like 7 hours since then." He paused and looked at the door, as if he thought it was going to open. "And she's still not back yet."

"I'm sure she's fine, probably just took Sam out for dinner or something." Peyton said, looking up at Lucas. "Stop worrying, you're making Jamie and I nervous just because you're fidgeting like that."

Jamie nodded.

Lucas smirked and walked over to the bookshelf, looking over the books lined up on the shelves. He smiled, picked up one he'd never read before and sat down on one of the stools. He opened it and started to read as Jamie and Peyton joked and baked cookies in the kitchen.

As Lucas made his way to the halfway point of the book, Jamie and Peyton were going to bed. He looked at the time: It was 12:43. Still no sign of Brooke. He looked at the door for a moment and then continued to read, using the words as a distraction.

It only took him another hour and a half to finish the book completely. He liked the ending, it wrapped up the plot line satisfyingly and gave some sort of resolution to every character. He was exhausted when he was done and considered going to bed, but when he looked at the clock again and saw that it was 3:03 in the morning, he became plagued with worry for Brooke.

He pulled out his phone, only to realize that it was dead. He sucked in a deep breath, what if she had called? What if she'd needed him and he wasn't there? He walked over to a charger that was plugged in nearby and attached his phone to it.

It took a few minutes for his phone to reboot, but by the time it did, he was able to check his messages. He had three missed calls from Brooke, all from 9:30. His heart dropped. He looked to see if she'd left a voicemail, but to his dismay, she hadn't. Guilt settled in his stomach as he sat back down. Where was she? Was she in trouble? He dialed her number and listened as it rang, but she didn't answer.

That only made Lucas even more distressed. Should he go looking for her? He ran his fingers through his hair and stood up, pacing by the kitchen counter, considering what he should do. Consumed by his panic, Lucas didn't hear the car pulling into the driveway or the footsteps coming up the porch stairs. But when the front door opened, that caught his attention.

He looked up and there standing in the doorway was Sam, she had tear stains on her cheeks and shock resonating in her eyes. She met Lucas' eyes, but didn't say anything, only turned and started to make her way up the stairs.

"Wait." A voice said.

Sam stopped at the foot of the stairs and turned back towards the doorway.

Brooke appeared suddenly, walking slowly and tenderly. She walked over to Sam, who was standing there waiting, and embraced her tightly.

They stood there like that for a long time, holding each other…until they finally separated, said their goodnights and I love you's and then Brooke let Sam make her way up the rest of the stairs. She clutched the railing of the stairs, watching her go.

Lucas, concerned, made his way over to her. "Brooke." He put a soft hand on her back. "What happened?"

Brooke looked up at him. The look in her eyes was terrifying to him, the light was gone again. She looked dull, cold, just like she had after her attack. Slowly, she turned away from him. "I found her…and…" Her voice was soft, almost inaudible.

"And what?" Lucas pushed on.

But before Brooke said anything else, a third figure appeared in the doorway.

"Okay, I brought The Breakfast Club and Field of Dreams." It was Julian, he looked up from the movies in his hands and saw Lucas. "Oh hey there." He said, offering Lucas a hand.

But Lucas didn't shake it.

Julian, undeterred, retracted his hand and turned back to Brooke. "Come on." He said, putting his arm around her waist. "I was thinking we'd grab your laptop, watch a movie and try to get your mind off things. How does that sound?" He asked.

Brooke nodded quietly.

Julian glanced at Lucas and then led Brooke back to her bedroom. "Here, why don't you put this in and I'll get us some drinks?" He asked and when she nodded, he shut her door and walked back to the kitchen where Lucas was standing, dumbfounded.

"What the hell is going on?" He asked.

Julian sighed, "Oh _now_ you want to talk to me?" He asked, reaching into the cabinets and grabbing a cup.

Lucas shot him a glare, not sure that now was the time for his sarcasm. "I'm sorry." He said, cringing at the fact he had to say it to this guy. "Now, are you going to tell me what happened? What's wrong with Brooke?" He asked.

Julian filled up the glassed with water, grabbed a bag of chips and then turned to Lucas. "I'm only going to explain this once, so you better listen because I know Brooke won't want to explain it later." He said, "This is what happened…"

Lucas leaned forward, listening.

"I saw Sam earlier in the day, after her fight with Brooke. She looked pretty shaken up about something, but I didn't get the chance to talk to her before she went off with some boy. I started looking for her, only to find that Brooke was doing the same thing. When we crossed paths in our search, we decided to start looking together. Eventually, we figured out who the boy I'd seen her leave with was: Jack Daniels."

Lucas narrowed his eyes, "Jack Daniels?" He asked, not believing it.

Julian nodded, "Yes, the boy's name is Jack Daniels and he has a brother named Xavier. We thought Sam went there so we stopped by the house. Xavier opened the door, but told us Jack wasn't home and we were leaving when Xavier said something that Brooke recognized from her attack. Apparently, Xavier was her attacker." He said, "So we went back in and I punched Xavier and I thought I he was knocked out while Brooke and I looked for Sam. We found her tied up in the closet. But when we went to leave, Xavier was there. He punched me and I hit my head on the coffee table." He pointed to a bump on his head, "And then he went for Brooke. He held her down and said some stuff to her, I couldn't hear, but then Sam pushed him off and he ran."

Lucas stared at the other man. "You mean…?"

Julian nodded, "Xavier got away." He paused, "And when the police went through his house they found Quentin's wallet. They think that Xavier killed him too."

Lucas ran his fingers through his hair. Brooke's attacker killed Quentin? He shook his head in disbelief, "So this guy is just on the loose somewhere?" He asked, scared for Brooke, scared that she was in danger. The man had killed someone before, who knew what he was capable of or what his thought process was?

Julian nodded slowly, "Brooke was pretty scared about it. She asked me to stay with her. I'm hoping maybe watching some movies will help her get her mind off of it." He said, "And I'm sorry that this might be hard for you, considering your history with her, but I don't really think that's what's important right now."

Lucas nodded, "I agree. Tell her I'm here for her…if you get the chance." He said with a sigh.

Julian met Lucas' eyes, "I will."

And Lucas got the feeling that he actually meant it.

Slowly, tiredly, Lucas made his way up the stairs and to his room. It was so late, he'd stayed up for so long and he really needed to get some sleep. But as he walked into his room and looked out the window, he couldn't help thinking about Brooke. And Xavier.

Xavier. That scum bag was still out there, hiding, waiting and watching. It was sickening. Lucas was scared that Brooke was at risk so silently, as he stared out the window in the darkness of his room, Lucas vowed to himself that he would find Xavier.

For Quentin.

For Brooke.

And for all the people of Tree Hill, who didn't know the danger that was lurking in their shadows.

* * *

**"Monsters exist, but they are too few in number to be truly dangerous. More dangerous are the common men, the functionaries ready to believe and to act without asking questions."**

Primo Levi

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**A/N: **Sorry I missed Saturday, I was going to post it, but I fell asleep because I just got this new job...but I posted it as soon as I got the chance. I hope you like this chapter because it's pretty important later. Again, sorry for being so late. Please review! I love reviews so much. Thanks!


	11. Alone Together

**"Even if she be not harmed, her heart may fail her in so much and so many horrors; and hereafter she may suffer-both in waking, from her nerves, and in sleep, from her dreams."**

Bram Stoker

* * *

_Nothingness. That was all she saw. Every direction she turned, she saw complete darkness. Slowly, she lifted her arm up, but was terrified to find out that she couldn't even see the hand in front of her own face. She took a few steps forward, listening to the sound of her feet against the cold, smooth floor. "Hello?" She called. _

_No one answered. _

_She was completely, undeniably alone. _

_As she took a few more steps forward, the coldness started to creep in. Though she couldn't see them, she could feel goose bumps forming on her arms. She spun around, chills going down her spine. And then, through the darkness, she noticed something: a white light a few yards away. Desperate, she ran to it and as she got closer, she realized it was a door. The light was seeping in through a crack at the bottom of it. She reached out through the darkness and felt for the doorknob. Once she had a hold on it, she pulled it open._

_The door led to a house. She recognized it. It was the Daniels' house. Hesitantly, she stepped inside, looking around. At first, she thought it was empty until she heard Sam's voice coming from one of the back rooms._

_"Help! Brooke! Help me, please! He's coming back, I can't get out. Please, help!" She sounded terrified._

_Brooke rushed forward, down the hall and into the back room where she found Sam tied up in the closet, her mouth uncovered. Quickly, she untied her. "Come on." She said before standing up and leading Sam back down the hall to the living room. She opened the front door and let Sam rush out first, but when she went to follow, she felt someone grab her arm and pull her back. _

_She turned around only to find herself face to face with Xavier. She stared into his eyes, they looked crazed, angry. He gripped her arm tightly in his hand. "Where do you think you're going?" He asked, voice low._

_But Brooke wasn't going to let him get to her this time. Quickly, she brought her knee up between his legs and as he doubled over in pain, she pulled her arm out of his grasp and went for the door again, but he fell to his knees and grabbed her ankle, pulling her to the ground after him._

_She fell hard on her elbows, stunned, and once she realized she was down, she started to crawl. _

_But it was no use. _

_Xavier pulled her back and crawled over, getting on top of her and turning her over so that she was facing him. He put his hands over her wrists, holding her down. "You thought you could get away." He chuckled, "You'll never get away from me. No matter what happens tonight or tomorrow or next year, you will never be free. When you close your eyes at night, I'll be there. When you walk out of your house, I'll be there. You will never be safe." He said, leaning in close. "So go on living your perfect little life, but don't you ever try to fool yourself into thinking that I'm gone because the moment that you do is the moment that I come for you."_

_"Go to hell." She said. _

_Xavier smiled, a disgusting smile. "Gladly." He leaned down towards her, his breathing on her neck. Slowly, he took in a deep breath and then leaned back, looking into her eyes. _

_And she looked back at him and all she could see in those dark, evil eyes was the one thing that she feared to see most:_

_Desire. _

_And then suddenly, she heard a voice. "Brooke!" It was a man, but it was hard to make who it was. Luckily, it came again. "Brooke!" This time, she recognized it. Julian. She looked around for him, hoping he would rescue her, but he was nowhere to be found. And then she felt Xavier lean down again, kissing her neck. She squirmed, trying to get away, but his grip was too tight. _

_"Brooke!" Julian called again. _

_She still couldn't see him and Xavier's kisses were getting more and more rough as she continued to struggle. And then he pulled away, anger in his eyes. He pulled his arm back, hand balled into a fist, and brought his hand down to her face and just before it connected, she closed her eyes. _

_But the pain never came. _

She opened her eyes again only to find herself staring at the ceiling of her bedroom. She let out a breath, realizing that it had only been a dream, well…a nightmare. She brought a shaky hand to her face, gulping.

"Brooke?"

She jumped and rolled over only to see Julian laying in the bed next to her. She let out a quick sigh of relief, glad it was just him and not Xavier.

"Hey…" He rubbed her arm, "You've been tossing and turning all morning." He said slowly, "Did you have another nightmare?"

Brooke avoided his gaze. She really didn't want to talk about it. It had been a week since the whole incident and every night since then she'd had a nightmare similar to the one she'd just had. "Yea." She said to Julian, voice quiet.

He leaned towards her, "Do you want to talk about it?" He was worried that if she didn't talk about it, she would end up facing it all alone, which was dangerous.

She wanted to say no, but she knew if she did then everyone would bother her about it so she nodded slowly, "I was in the house again and _he_ was there and he pinned me down and…" She trailed off, looking at the ground.

Julian embraced her, "Hey it's okay. You're safe. I'm here, alright? I'll keep you safe." He said, rubbing her back. In all honesty, he was terrified. If Xavier really was out there and if did have a thing for Brooke then that meant he wouldn't stop until he got to her. And that was the last thing Julian wanted, for Xavier to get to Brooke.

Brooke leaned against him, glad that he was there. After they sat there for a few minutes, she pulled away from him. "Thank you." She said quietly, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek. "I think I'm gonna get in the shower." She slid out of the bed and walked towards the bathroom.

"Want some company?" Julian asked with a smile.

Brooke looked back at him and smiled, shaking her head. And then she walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind her.

Julian watched her go, glad to see her smile. He hadn't really seen that much in the past week. Yawning, he got out of the bed, walked out of her bedroom and into the kitchen where Jamie, Lucas, Sam and Peyton were all eating breakfast.

"Good morning." He said with a smile.

"Is it?"

Julian looked over at Peyton, confused. "What?"

Peyton looked up from her food, "Is it a good morning?"

Julian tilted his head and shrugged, "Of course." He said with a grin, "It's sunny, it's not too hot and it's the weekend…why wouldn't it be a good morning?" He asked, scooping some eggs onto a plate.

"Because you're still here."

Sam chuckled from where she was sitting at the dining table. She glanced backwards at Julian, who was giving her a look. "I'm sorry!" She exclaimed, smiling. "It was funny…"

"You take too much pleasure in other people's pain." Julian said, shooting a sarcastic glare in Sam's direction.

And then it was quiet.

They all ate in silence as Julian prepared two plates of breakfast.

And then, out of nowhere, he spoke again. "I'm worried about Brooke." He said, listening for the sound of the shower to make sure she wouldn't hear them talking about her. Distantly, he could hear that the water was still running.

Lucas looked over at Julian, "We all are." He said.

Julian nodded slowly, "Every night this week, she's had a nightmare. She hasn't been outside all week. Every day, I bring her all her meals, but she just takes a few small bites. She's not eating and she looks pale, I don't know…this stress, it could be bad for her health."

"Well what should we do?" Peyton asked, deeply concerned. She'd been noticing the change in Brooke's behavior too and it didn't seem healthy. "Like therapy or something?" She asked, playing with the food on her plate.

Sam shook her head, "She's not crazy." She protested, "She's just scared. And she has a right to be. It's been a week and the police aren't doing anything. Plus, I mean, she did just come face to face with the guy who ruined her life." She shrugged, "She's scared, but she's not crazy."

"Just because you go to therapy doesn't mean you're crazy." Peyton said, looking back at Sam. "I don't know, I was just suggesting it as an option. It'd also be a way to get her out of the house." She said, looking out the window.

Lucas shrugged, "I think she just needs some time. I agree with Sam, I think she's scared and she needs time to work through it herself." He said, "But she shouldn't be alone."

"Well," Julian said, rejoining the conversation, "I have a meeting with a director for the movie that I have to go to in Los Angeles. So I can't stay with her anymore…" He said with a sigh. "And I think I have to leave tonight so it'll be the first time she's alone."

Lucas nodded, "We'll look out for her." He said, giving Julian a nod. In the past week, the two men had been civil to each other for the sake of the situation. They both had a common goal: to keep Brooke safe and fighting with each other wouldn't make anything easier.

After that, Peyton went to work and took Sam with her while Lucas and Jamie went to town and bought groceries. Brooke and Julian stayed inside, as they had been for the last week. They talked for a while and then watched a movie. Once it was over, Julian told Brooke that he was leaving. She was silently dreading him not being there, but she put on a brave face and said she was going to be fine.

Later in the day, Jamie and Lucas returned from the run to the store. They put all the groceries away and then sat out on the back porch and ate some sandwiches for dinner. They watched the sun go down as they sat out there and talked.

Just after they finished a conversation about basketball, Jamie paused and brought up a new topic that he was secretly curious about. "Uncle Lucas?" He looked over at his uncle.

Lucas looked down at him, "Yea?"

"What's wrong with Aunt Brooke?" Jamie asked, like everyone else, he'd noticed the change in her. Actually, he'd barely seen her in the last week, which he thought was weird and when he did see her, she didn't say hi or smile or anything and he didn't like that. He knew something had to be wrong.

Lucas sighed and stared forward, trying to think of a way to explain it without scaring him. "Your Aunt Brooke is just going through something right now…" He said, trying to be as vague as he possibly could to avoid the topic.

Jamie wasn't satisfied though. "What kind of something?"

Lucas should have been expecting that. He rubbed his hands on his thighs, "Someone hurt her a few months ago and now, that person is back and she's scared." He paused, "We just have to be there for her right now, even if it seems like she doesn't want it."

Jamie nodded slowly and looked out over the water.

Slowly, the door behind them came open and Julian walked out onto the back porch. "I'm gonna take off, Brooke's in her room. I don't think she'd mind a visit." He smiled a little bit, "But I'll be back in like a week. See you later, Jamie."

"Bye, Julian!" Jamie smiled.

Julian nodded, "Lucas." He gave him a nod.

"Julian." Lucas nodded back.

And then Julian turned and walked back inside before then walking out the front door.

A few minutes later, Lucas and Jamie went back inside and decided to go visit Brooke. When they walked down the hall, they saw that her bedroom door was open. As they walked through the doorway, Lucas knocked on the open door, getting her attention. She was sitting on the bed, reading a book, but when she heard the knock, she looked up.

"What're you reading?" Lucas asked as he walked into her room, Jamie coming in behind him.

Brooke looked down at the book and lifted it open, showing the cover. It was an Unkindness of Ravens. She smirked and gave a small shrug. "It was on my bookshelf so…" She set the book down on her nightstand.

Lucas smiled and sat at the foot of her bed. "I think what you're trying to say is…you were bored and you needed a really interesting, really well-written book to read so you decided on that one." He smiled.

She chuckled softly, "Yea that's what happened." She muttered sarcastically before looking over at Jamie, who had climbed into the bed next to her, "Hey there Jame. You look awfully happy, what'd you and Lucas do today?"

Jamie grinned and glanced at Lucas, "We went grocery shopping. And then we ate dinner and watched the sunset on the back porch." He smiled.

"That sounds like a pretty good day to me." Brooke offered a small smile.

Lucas nodded slowly, "It was. Would have been more fun with you though." He smiled, "What did you and Julian do today?"

Brooke shrugged, "We watched The Breakfast Club and Julian quoted like every single line." She rolled her eyes, "And it just made me realize that I'd forgotten how much I love watching good movies." She smiled a little bit.

"Me too!" Jamie exclaimed.

Lucas nodded, "We should watch a movie."

"Yea!" Jamie said, excited.

Lucas looked at Brooke, "But what movie?"

Brooke met his eyes, gave him a look and immediately, he knew what she was thinking.

"Weird Science." He said.

She nodded.

"What science?" Jamie asked, confused. He didn't really know what they were talking about.

Brooke looked over at him, "Oh yea. You're little, you probably haven't seen it…" She glanced at Lucas, "I think it's appropriate for children…?"

Lucas shrugged, "Yea…sure." He said, "You have it on DVD, don't you?"

"Of course."

Lucas stepped out of the bed and walked down the hall. He looked around for a few minutes and then found it in a cabinet by the TV. "Found it!" He called and a few moments later, Jamie and Brooke came out of her room and sat down on the couch.

Brooke looked at Jamie, "Now you can't tell your parents you watched this because it has a few bad words and…adult themes in it, okay? I promise you'll like it, it's a really good movie." She said, smiling over at Lucas.

He looked back at her and smiled, glad that her mind was off of everything that was going on. He slid the movie into the DVD player and sat down on the other side of Brooke, "Yea this movie…" He shook his head and smiled, "This movie is what made me fall in love with your Aunt Brooke, the first time."

Jamie looked up at that, curious. "What?"

"We were on a date." Lucas explained, "And I didn't really know Brooke yet and I thought she was going to be snobby or stuck up, but then…she started talking about Weird Science, even quoted it and we laughed and we had a lot of fun. And I fell in love with her." He looked at Brooke.

She met his eyes and smiled a little bit.

And a few moments later, the movie started. For Lucas and Brooke, it was a great trip down memory lane and for Jamie, it was a weird, but funny movie that he knew meant a lot to his aunt and uncle. But it was late, so by the time it was finishing, both Brooke and Jamie were asleep and Lucas was lying back, half-asleep.

He opened his eyes when he heard the front door open and close.

Peyton walked inside quietly, seeing that everyone was asleep. She stopped as she was passing Lucas, "Weird Science?" She looked at the TV and shook her head, "Classic." She said as she walked into the kitchen.

"You worked late." Lucas commented, "Where's Sam?"

"Staying at Mouth, Millie and Skillz' house for the night. Apparently, they're going to amusement park tomorrow so she wanted to go." Peyton shrugged, "Brooke already told her yes before you say anything about that." She smiled, "So Julian's gone?"

Lucas nodded.

"About time." Peyton said, rolling her eyes, "How's Brooke?"

Lucas shrugged and looked over at her sleeping peacefully with Jamie sleeping too, leaning against her, his head on her shoulder. He smiled a little bit, "It seems like she's been acting okay, but you never know with her…"

Peyton nodded, "Well…I'm gonna head to bed. You probably should too, it's late, like 2 in the morning late." She said as she walked past the couch again and walked up the stairs to her bedroom.

Lucas sighed and watched as the movie ended. Letting out a yawn, he reached over and touched Brooke's shoulder, shaking her gently. "Brooke." He said softly, "Brooke, hey, wake up."

She was still for a moment and then she jumped, eyes shooting open. She looked around quickly, in a panic before seeing Lucas next to her and realizing that it was him. "Oh…you scared me." She said, shaking her head and looked down at Jamie, who was stirring slightly because of her sudden movement.

Lucas nodded, "Sorry…" He said, "The movie's over and I figured you guys would rather sleep in beds than on the couch."

"Yea." Brooke nodded, sitting up. "We should go to bed."

Jamie, who had woken up, also sat up and started to slide off of the couch. Once on the ground, he slowly made his way up the stairs, as sluggish as ever. He didn't even put on pajamas, just collapsed in his bed, exhausted.

Lucas was going to go help him out, but he walked Brooke back to her room first. "You gonna be okay in here?" He asked as she climbed into her bed.

Brooke looked back at him and nodded, "Yea. I'm so tired, I don't even think it's going to matter." She said, smiling. "Thanks though, Luke."

He nodded, "Goodnight, Brooke."

"Night."

And then Lucas switched the light off and walked upstairs where he went to Jamie's room, helped the boy into his pajamas and then tucked him into bed before then finally, getting into his boxers and climbing into bed himself. He relaxed against the mattress and easily drifted off into sleep.

He woke up a few hours later. That'd been happening a lot lately. He would sleep for a few hours and then wake up around 4:00 in the morning and then he would just go back to sleep and sleep soundly for the rest of the night. He assumed it had something to do with his food or stress or something. So when he woke up that night, he thought nothing of it, rolled over and tried to fall back asleep. And just as he was beginning to drift off again, he heard a soft knock at his door.

Surprised, he rolled onto his back and looked at the door as it slowly came open to reveal Brooke standing in his doorway. He glanced at the clock on his nightstand it was 4:30. "Brooke?" He asked, thinking maybe it was a dream.

She stood, frozen in the doorway. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up…" She said softly, rubbing her arm.

Lucas sat up, shaking his head. "No, no I was already awake." He said, stretching slightly. "What's wrong?"

Brooke entered his room, slowly, shutting the door quietly behind her. "I..." She looked like she was having trouble getting it out, "I was just wondering if I could lay with you for a little bit…?" She said shyly, their relationship had been dicey lately and she didn't know if this would be awkward.

Lucas nodded quickly, "Of course you can." He moved over and made some room in his bed, "What happened?" He asked as she walked over and slid into bed next to him.

Brooke didn't look at him, "I…just…" She shook her head, "I didn't want to be alone." She looked over at him, eyes shining through the darkness.

Lucas nodded, "Okay. Well, you don't have to be." He said smiling comfortingly.

Brooke gave him a half-hearted smile, thankful for his understanding. Slowly, she laid her head back on the pillow and stared up at the ceiling. She felt Lucas lay down beside her and she glanced at him. This felt natural, lying next to him, she liked the warmth radiating from his body and his slow, rhythmic breathing, it soothed her nerves.

They laid there like that for a while, both silent, both trying to sleep. Thirty minutes passed slowly, but neither of them had fallen asleep.

"Are you awake?" Lucas asked suddenly.

Brooke opened her eyes and looked up at the ceiling that she'd gotten so used to seeing, "Yes." She replied quietly, wondering if the sun was going to come up any time soon, "I can't sleep." She added, voice soft.

Lucas nodded and let out a long sigh, "Me either." He was quiet for a moment and then went on, "I've started writing again. I finished another book, Peyton read it and I sent it in for editing yesterday." He said.

Brooke looked over at him, "That's great, Luke. What's it about?" She asked, glad she could have something to get her mind off of Xavier.

Lucas smiled, he loved talking about his books to people. "It's about this guy who decides to drop everything and drive across the US. And he falls in love with this girl he meets while he's in Louisiana." He sighed, "It's called Louisiana Nights."

"Oh so it's a love story?" Brooke asked, rolling over so that she was facing him now. "Do you ever write anything other than love stories?" She asked with a small smile.

Lucas nodded, giving her a look. "The Comet was a science fiction, but everyone just read into it too much. I mean, he fell in love in the end, but that wasn't the main subject of the book, it was all about him and this comet."

_"The _Comet." Brooke corrected, raising her eyebrows.

Lucas looked over at her, "Did you even read it?"

"I actually did." Brooke said, staring at him, "I don't own it, but I checked it out from the library and I thought it was good, but it did kind of seem like it had a double meaning, I'm sorry…" She said, shrugging, "Maybe Lindsay was right, Lucas. Maybe you did write that because you were still in love with Peyton."

Lucas looked away, "Maybe." He said, shaking his head, "I did love Lindsay though. I think I would have been happy with her too if this whole thing hadn't come up." He said, sighing.

Brooke nodded slowly, "It just wasn't meant to be, Luke."

Lucas shook his head, "It seems like a lot of my relationships aren't meant to be lately." He said with a heavy sigh, "I don't know." He looked over at her, "How are things going between you and Julian?" He asked, curiously.

Brooke had been expecting that question. "We're in a good place. It's been really great having him around." She said, shrugging.

Lucas nodded, "Yea…" He let out a sigh, "There's something I kind of wanted to ask you too…" He trailed off, looking over at her, "That night…you said I'd be the first one you'd call…when you were in trouble, did you call me?"

Brooke met his eyes, able to guilt resonating in his gaze. She thought about lying to him, but she knew that he probably wouldn't buy it. "Yes, I did call you." She said slowly, "When I couldn't find Sam and I needed some help, I called and then after…after we found out about Quentin I called you again, twice."

Lucas' heart dropped and he looked down at his hands, "I'm sorry, Brooke. I really wish I could have been there for you." He looked at her, guilt in his deep blue eyes. "It seems like every time you count on me, I'm not there and I…just…I'm sorry for that." He told her.

Brooke shook her head, "It's okay, Luke. I mean, all the other times that you've been there for me when I didn't ask you to be kind of make up for it." She said with a small smile, "We've been through a lot…haven't we?"

Lucas smirked and nodded, "We have. And there isn't anyone else I would have wanted to go through it with." He met her eyes, a small amount of light seeping in from the windows. The sun was starting to rise. The pale blue light looked beautiful on her skin and her eyes shined, the blue light complimenting her brown. He wondered what she was thinking.

_Do not kiss him. Do not kiss him. You're with Julian, you are not a cheater…anymore. If you kiss him, you'll hurt Julian and Peyton and yourself. Oh god, he's just staring…I can't…_ Brooke stared back at him, she loved the way he looked at her, his gaze was kind and gentle. She smiled a little bit, but she knew that she couldn't kiss him so she went in for a hug. He was laying on his back so she just put her arm around his stomach and laid her head on his shoulder.

"I love you, Luke, you know that right?"

Lucas nodded slowly, unsatisfied. She loved him, but not in the way that he wanted. "Yea, I love you too, Brooke…and I probably always will." He said, wanting to make sure that she knew he still had feelings for her, even after all this time.

Brooke rubbed her hand against Lucas' chest gently and then after a while, they both finally fell asleep.

* * *

**"I'm here. I love you. I don't care if you need to stay up crying all night long, I will stay with you. There's nothing you can ever do to lose my love. I will protect you until you die, and after your death I will still protect you. I am stronger than depression and I am braver than loneliness and nothing will ever exhaust me."**

Elizabeth Gilbert, _Eat Pray Love_

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry for the late update again. I know I say this every time, but I had a really, really busy weekend. I'm really sorry and in advance, I should probably tell you that next weekend is going to be just as bad. I'll try to get the next chapter up Friday, but you should maybe expect Saturday or Sunday. Also, because I feel bad, I might post another chapter during the week if I have time. Thanks for reading! Please review! It will make me more motivated to post another chapter :).


	12. Demons

**"That's the thing about pain. It demands to be felt."**

John Green, _The Fault In Our Stars_

* * *

"Alright, just ignore the camera, this is just for the sake of evidence." The officer told her as he set up a camera on a tri-fold in the corner of the room. When he was finished, he sat down across from her at the steel table. "I know we've already done this, but we have to do it again for the video." He paused, "What is your name?"

"Peyton Sawyer." Her voice was dull, her eyes heavy. She glanced at the camera before looking back up at the officer.

He nodded, "Ms. Sawyer, can you explain how you know Brooke Davis?" He looked down at the case file sitting in front of him.

Peyton looked at the file. She could see Brooke's high school picture was clipped to one of the papers. Slowly, she replied, "Brooke is my best friend. We've known each other since we were 4 and now, we live together."

The officer nodded, "And Lucas Scott? How do you know him?"

Peyton rubbed her hands against her thighs, "We met in high school and have dated a few times. Right now, we're just friends." She wondered if that was relevant, "And he is staying in the house with Brooke, Jamie and I."

The officer nodded, "Yes. James Scott was staying in the house with you, Ms. Davis and Mr. Scott, correct? Because his parents went on a musical tour for the summer?" He asked for clarification.

Peyton nodded slowly, avoiding the officer's gaze. "Yes. Haley-James Scott went on a summer tour with her husband, Nathan Scott." She said, making sure to be as specific as she could.

The officer nodded and paused for a moment before continuing on, "A few months ago, Ms. Davis was attacked during a robbery at her store. Were you aware of that?" He asked, looking up at her.

Peyton nodded slowly, "I was, yes, but not until some time after the attack. Brooke waited a week to tell everyone about it." She explained with a small sigh.

He flipped through the case file, "And there were no other incidents between then and the attack a few ago that you were aware of? Nothing even small, maybe letters, phone calls, anything suspicious that you noticed?"

Peyton thought back and ended up shaking her head, "No…" She said, eyes swimming, "There were no signs that anything like this was going to happen…" She said, trying her best to hold herself together for the sake of this interview.

The officer nodded slowly, giving her a comforting look. "I know this is hard, if you need a break, we can get you some water or…" He trailed off, glancing at the two-way mirror behind him.

Peyton shook her head, "No. Let's keep going." She sniffed.

He stared at her for a moment and then continued on, "And a few weeks later there was another incident. Can you please explain what you know about the second attack?" He asked gently.

Peyton nodded slowly, "Brooke didn't tell me this herself. I heard this from her boyfriend, Julian. He said that they went to Xavier's house and Julian knocked him out and then they went in and looked for Sam, Brooke's foster daughter, and found her in the closet. On the way out, Xavier woke up, hit Julian and then went after Brooke, but Sam saved her. That's all I know." She said softly, "And then after that Brooke wasn't the same."

"What do you mean?"

Peyton looked down at her hands, "She was…kind of…withdrawn. She didn't smile as much or laugh as much. She was depressed, I think or maybe scared. I don't know, but she didn't go outside, she couldn't sleep. Lucas and I had to take turns staying with her during the night because she kept having nightmares…"

"So she was shaken up?"

"Yea." Peyton glared up at the officer, "She was. And she had the right to be. The man who attacked her was on the loose and I'm sorry, but it didn't seem like the police were doing anything about it." She gave a small shrug.

The officer brushed it off and continued without addressing what she said, "Alright so she was attacked a second time and a week passed, then what happened?"

Peyton shook her head, eyes clouded. "You already know, why do I have to explain it again?" She asked slowly, really, _really_ not wanting to go through it again. She looked down at her hands, looking at the ashes and black soot covering them.

The officer gave her a sympathetic look, "You said you wanted to continue. We need your story for the case." He pointed out, "It's alright. Just close your eyes, go back to that night…and tell me what you remember."

"I can't." Peyton said, shaking her head.

He gave her a long look, "Yes." He said, "You can."

Peyton looked up at him.

"You have to." He added, "Now just close your eyes…you were probably sleeping…"

Peyton shut her eyes, "I was." She said softly.

The officer nodded, "And you were probably woken up by something…let's start there." He suggested gently.

Peyton paused, thinking, and in the same instant, she was transported back to that night.

_It was quiet and warm in her room, she remembered. The house was silent, still, everyone was in bed, or at least that was what she assumed. She drifted off into a light, dreamless sleep. It had been a long day at the studio and the moment her light was off and her head hit the pillow, she was out. She was just about to fall into the deep stages of sleep when she was woken up by yelling. It was sudden and she practically jumped out of her bed when she heard it. _

_"Sam! Sam! Wake up!" _

_It was Brooke._

_Peyton sat up in her bed, confused. She rubbed her eyes, wondering what Brooke was doing. Her first thought was that maybe Brooke was about to yell at Sam for something, but then she heard it again. _

_"Sam! Wake up!"_

_It sounded closer this time, like she was coming up the stairs. But there was something else. It didn't sound like anger in her voice, it sounded more like desperation, fear. And it worried Peyton, something was wrong, but she just didn't know what._

_"Sam! I'm-" _

_And then there was a loud tumbling noise. _

_Peyton had no idea what was going on, she just sat, frozen in her bed and wondered if Lucas was sitting awake in his room, wondering the same thing that she was. She watched her door, listening. After all the struggling ended, there was just one set of footsteps running up the stairs. But Brooke had stopped yelling. Heart pounding, she started to get out of her bed, as the footsteps went past her door. Slowly, and as quietly as she could, Peyton stood, her bare feet sensitive to the cold, hardwood floor._

_She took a few steps towards the door, breathing silently. She could still hear faint footsteps, but didn't know which direction they were going anymore. Carefully, she reached out for the doorknob of her door, getting ready to figure out what was going on out there, but the moment she grabbed the door knob, it turned from the other side. _

_Peyton stepped back, allowing the door to skid open in front of her to reveal Brooke and Jamie in her doorway. She tilted her head and opened her mouth to ask what was going on, but was silenced by Brooke quickly pushing her way into Peyton's room shutting and locking the door behind her. Once inside, she whispered, "Closet." And then, gripping Jamie's hand, she walked over to the closet door, pulled it open and entered. _

_Dumbfounded, but concerned, Peyton followed, shutting the door behind them. It was dark in the closet with no lights on and for the first few seconds they were in there, it was silent too. That was, until Peyton heard the soft, heart-breaking sound of Jamie's quiet sobs._

_"I want my mommy." He breathed._

_Peyton was closest to the door and her closet was a large walk-in closet, so she could tell that Jamie and Brooke were standing at the other end of it and it sounded like they were hiding behind some of the boxes she had in the corner._

_"Hey, it's okay, Jame." Brooke said softly, "It's all gonna be over soon. Uncle Lucas is going to come or call the police and…" She trailed off, "Everything is going to be okay. This is just going to be another story that you can tell your friends one day, alright?"_

_He was quiet for a moment and then, "I'm scared…" He whispered. _

_"I know, honey, I am too, but you are being so brave. I'm so proud of you and I love you, alright? I do. And if there's anything that I've learned in my life, it's that being with the people you love when you're scared is the best place to be." She hugged him close._

_After hearing that conversation, Peyton could tell something was really wrong. But what? She still had no clue. Quietly, she made her way to the back of the closet. Through the darkness, she could see the outline of their figures sitting on the ground behind some boxes so she sat down on the other side of Brooke, pulling her knees to her chest. _

_Brooke looked over at her, the whites of her eyes the only things really visible in the dark closet. _

_"What's going on?" Peyton asked, she glanced down and could see Jamie's head on Brooke's shoulder. _

_Brooke blinked and took in a deep breath, "Xavier is here." She said, voice cracking slightly, "I don't know what happened to Lucas, but Xavier is here in the house. He came for me and then he said he was going to get Sam, but he fell down the stairs so I came up first." She explained. _

_Peyton's eyes widened. This was much, much worse than she had been expecting. "Xavier?" She looked down at Jamie, glad at least he was safe. "And he was after Sam? Where is she?"_

_Brooke shook her head, "I took her to Lucas' room. You know how he has that little door in his room that leads to this attic kind of thing? She's in there. And I would have stayed with her, but then I remembered you and Jamie so I came here." She said, gulping. "But Lucas…" She shook her head. _

_Peyton rubbed her arm. "I'm sure he's fine. But what about Xavier…?"_

_Brooke glanced at Jamie, "I don't know where he is. But he didn't have anything with him…which a good sign, I guess. I just wish Sam was with us…she's alone right now and probably scared and…" She trailed off, holding Jamie tightly as if she was scared he would slip away too. _

_Peyton looked over at Brooke, able to see how distressed she was. And she understood. This man had attacked her twice and now, he was here, and he was after her. And Sam. She couldn't even imagine how scary that must be for her. "I can go sit with her." She said suddenly, feeling stupid just sitting here when Sam was all alone. _

_Brooke gave her an incredulous look. "No, he could be out there."_

_"But he could also be lying passed out at the bottom of the stairs. The longer I wait, the higher the chance that he's already woken up. I'll be fine. I'll grab my phone off my nightstand, go to Sam, and we'll call the police. It's killing two birds with one stone." Peyton suggested. _

_"Don't say killing." Brooke said, flinching at the word. _

_Peyton nodded, "Bad metaphor." She said as she quietly started to get up off the floor, "It's gonna be fine, okay? The police will come and we'll be fine." She said. _

_Brooke watched her with wide eyes, "I love you, P. Sawyer, you know that?"_

_Peyton looked back at her, "Don't say that. Don't treat this like a goodbye." She insisted, heart pounding as she walked towards the closet door. _

_"I'm not…" Brooke said softly, "I just wanted you to know."_

_Peyton reached out and grabbed the doorknob, but before she opened, she turned back to Brooke. "I love you too, B. Davis." And then silently, she pulled the closet door open and stepped out, shutting it behind her. _

_The house was still again, ominous. She walked through the darkness of her room, trying to remember where everything was so she wouldn't bump anything and make noise. She maneuvered her way around the bed and to the nightstand where she found her phone. Briefly, she glanced down at it. _

_Just a text from Mia, which she ignored before sliding her phone back into her pocket and making her way to the door and listening carefully. _

_Nothing. _

_So carefully, she pulled the door open and stuck her head out. She looked both directions down the hall and saw no one so she pulled the door the rest of the way open and went out into the hall. Terrified and even more paranoid, she hurried down the hall, quickly, but quietly, to Lucas' room. Once she was inside the room, she tiptoed her way to the small door, but before she opened it, she spoke: "Sam, it's Peyton." And then she pulled the small door open to reveal a terrified-looking Sam on the other side. _

_Peyton stepped into the small attic and shut the small door behind her, "Hey…are you okay?"_

_Sam nodded, "I think so. Where did you come from?"_

_"My room. Brooke and Jamie are in my closet right now and I was with them, but Brooke was worried about you. And I felt like she was going to volunteer to come sit with you so I came instead. I mean, Xavier's not after me so…" Peyton shrugged, "And I grabbed my phone so I'll call the police."_

_Sam nodded, "Good."_

_Peyton pulled her phone out of her pocket and looked down, it was on silent, and Lucas was calling her. Carefully, she answered. "Hello?" She whispered. _

_"Peyton!" Lucas exclaimed into the phone, "Xavier is inside. You have to get out of here, warn Brooke and Sam and Jamie. He locked me outside and I'm on the back porch, I'm about to break a window or something. Go get Brooke!"_

_"Brooke is okay, she's in my closet hiding with Jamie and Sam and I are in your room, hiding in the little attic thing. We're all okay right now. I was just getting ready to call the police, have you called them yet?"_

_"No."_

_"Okay well then hang up so I can call them." _

_"Wait. What? Where is everyone?"_

_"Safe, we're all safe Lucas, hang up." Peyton said frustratedly. _

_"Peyton-"_

_She hung up on him._

_But as she looked down and started to dial 911, she heard Lucas' bedroom door open and she froze. She turned her phone off and grabbed Sam's wrist tightly as she listened to the loud, slow footsteps walking across the hardwood floor. _

_Peyton felt like the world was moving in slow motion. The steps were slow, calculated, calm and getting closer to the attic they were in. She held her breath when they got close, gripping Sam's arm tightly still. _

_And then Peyton felt her phone slipping off of her leg. In a panic, she grabbed for it, but missed. Her phone fell from it's spot on her thigh towards the wood underneath them. It felt like an eternity before it actually hit the ground with a thud. She wondered if he'd heard it. It sounded loud to them, but maybe it was different from the bedroom. She didn't know. She just sat as still as possible and waited. _

_The footsteps stopped. _

_Peyton turned to look at Sam through the darkness, she could feel the young girl shaking in her grasp. She tried to stay calm, but the silence, the fact that the man had stopped, the anticipation…it was killing her. _

_And then suddenly, the footsteps started again, quick and loud. They came to the door and suddenly, ahead of them, their small door was pulled open to reveal the crazed, angry eyes of Xavier staring down at them._

_"Hello there." He said, a threatening smile on his face. _

_But Peyton wasn't having that. She reached out for something, anything and got a hold of a picture frame. Quickly, she lifted it up and whacked Xavier across the face with it, pushing him back into the bedroom. And then she pulled Sam up, "Run!" She yelled. _

_And Sam did. She went for the door and ran out into the hall. _

_Peyton moved to follow, but Xavier grabbed her. He pulled her back and pushed her roughly onto Lucas' bed where he then picked up the picture frame and moved towards her, "Picture frame, really?" He asked, narrowing his eyes. _

_Peyton closed her eyes, ready for the man to exact his revenge, but before he could, she heard a loud grunt. Her eyes shot open and there was Brooke, standing over Xavier, holding a thick book between her hands. _

_Peyton couldn't help being reminded of another time when Brooke had saved her in almost the same way when Psycho Derek had cornered her, Brooke came to the rescue and now, here she was again. She looked up at her friend. _

_Brooke gave her a quick look, "Come on!" She exclaimed. _

_And Peyton jumped out of the bed, following Brooke out of the room. They both heard Xavier getting up off the ground behind them. Panicked, Peyton headed for the stairs and she could hear Brooke behind her. When they were down in the living room and Xavier wasn't behind them, they had a moment to exchange a few words._

_"Jamie?" Peyton asked, panting. _

_Brooke shook her head, "Fine. What about Sam?"_

_Peyton bit her lip, "I don't know." _

_Brooke looked at Peyton, "You don't know?!" She exclaimed, looking back up the stairs, like she was considering whether she should go back up or not. _

_Peyton grabbed Brooke's arm. "She's probably fine, Brooke. Come on."_

_Brooke met her friend's eyes and nodded, knowing there was nothing she could do to get Sam to safety anyway. She was probably safer wherever she was hiding. _

_But then they heard Xavier walk out of Lucas' room so they headed for the back door of the house, where they could see Lucas standing on the other side of the glass, knocking loudly. They went to him and Peyton opened the door. _

_"Brooke, Peyton, thank god you're okay. Where's Jamie? And Sam?" He asked. _

_Brooke glanced backwards, "Jamie is hiding underneath a cabinet in the bathroom and Sam…we don't know." She said uneasily, listening as Xavier was walking around upstairs, she didn't know what he was doing. _

_Lucas nodded, "Well, you two come out here and I'll go get Sam and Jamie, okay? Did you call the police?"_

_Peyton felt her pockets for her phone, realizing that she hadn't. "No." She said, "I dropped my phone somewhere."_

_He nodded, "That's okay. Here's my phone." He handed it to her before leading Peyton out of the house and starting to lead Brooke out too, but she stopped before she was completely out the door. _

_Brooke looked hesitant to go out. She bit her lip and looked back into the house again, anxious and then she looked back over at Lucas, who noticed her nervousness and touched her arm. _

_"I'm gonna get her, okay?" He said, taking one of her hands. "I will get her and Jamie and I'll bring them back to you, I promise." He said, gazing at her firmly, "I will."_

_Brooke nodded slowly and started to walk out when they all heard something coming from the house. She stopped, frozen and listened. _

_"Help me!" _

_Brooke's eyes widened._

_"Please! No! No! Someone help, please!"_

_Sam. _

_Lucas tried to grab Brooke and pull her out of the house, but he never got the chance because before he could even move to do it, she had pulled her hand out of his grasp and ran back into the house, fueled by panic. He glanced back at Peyton, worried she would go back in too, "Stay here. Call the police." He said before going in, shutting the door behind him and running after Brooke. _

_And Peyton stood there for the longest time, listening for the action, but outside the house, it was quiet. No one in the neighborhood had any idea what was going on inside. It was horrifying. After at least 10 or 15 minutes, the shock started to pass and she remembered what Lucas had told her. With shaking hands, she held his phone and dialed 911, turning away from the house and facing the water. _

_It rang a few times and then finally someone answered, "This is 911, what is your emergency?"_

_Peyton opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted by a loud crashing noise from behind her. She turned, mouth open in shock. As she took in the sight, she dropped Lucas' phone onto the dock, staring up at the house._

_The crashing noise had been the window. It had burst open. And there, coming out of that small kitchen window, were flames. Hot, orange flames, creating an unbearable heat even for Peyton, who was standing a few feet away. She gulped, in shock. _

_The house was on fire. _

_For the moment, it looked like the fire was contained to the kitchen, but it was still on fire, it was burning and Lucas, Brooke, Jamie, Sam and Xavier were all still inside. She blinked a few times and then the severity of the situation sunk in. They needed police, ambulances, fire department. Help, that was what they needed. _

_Peyton bent over, picked up Lucas' phone and to the operator, she said, "We need help." She said, her voice shaky. _

_"You need help? What is going on?"_

_"There is a fire. And there are five people inside, one of which is a wanted murderer. We need help, please, please send help." Peyton said, desperation getting the best of her. She tried to keep her composure, she really did, but the thought of losing everyone she loved was just too overwhelming. _

_The operator was calm though, "Can you give me the address?"_

_"6342 Hampton Boulevard."_

_"Alright, help is on the way, sweetheart. Make sure you are a safe distance from the fire and try your best to stay calm and keep a clear head, okay? The police, the fire department and the EMTs will be there in a few minutes."_

_Peyton nodded slowly, looking up at the burning house that she had come to love over these few short months, wondering if a few minutes was enough time for her friends, her family to make it out alive._

* * *

**Thantophobia**

**(n.) The fear of losing someone that you love.**

The Dictionary

* * *

**A/N: **I thought I'd post another chapter just for fun because I was bored and because I'm tired and just needed something to do. I hope you guys review...maybe there will be another chapter coming your way before this week ends. It all depends on my motivation. I'll try to get one up Friday or Saturday, but if you want one sooner too, reviews motivate me a lot. I'm totally kidding. I'm not trying to pressure you to review, only do it if you want to. I just like reading what everyone has to say. Thanks so much for reading! Hope you like it. There's plenty more where this came from.


	13. The Reason

**"Your opinion is your opinion, your perception is your perception—do not confuse them with "facts" or "truth". Wars have been fought and millions have been killed because of the inability of men to understand the idea that EVERYBODY has a different viewpoint."**

John Moore

* * *

The officer sat down at the steel table and looked across at the girl sitting in front of him. He could tell she looked nervous so he gave her a reassuring smile before nodding towards the camera, "Please state your name."

"Samantha Walker." She said, her leg shaking underneath the table. Being herself, normally she wouldn't be so nervous in the presence of a police officer. Authority figures never really scared her before, but this time, under these circumstances, her nerves were getting the best of her.

The officer nodded, "And you are Brooke Davis' foster daughter, correct?"

Sam nodded slowly, "Yes." She replied.

He continued on then, looking down at the file in front of him, "And Brooke took you in after her first attack?"

Sam nodded, remembering Brooke sitting next to her at the café, her face swollen. She remembered thinking it was weird. "Yes." She told the officer.

"It says here that you knew the brother of her attacker, can you explain your relation to Mr. Jack Daniels?" The officer looked down at the file, checking to make sure that the name Jack Daniels was actually right.

Sam had been dreading this question. "Jack and I are old friends, we knew each other from the foster system and hanging out, shoplifting. He…uh, well…" She tried to figure out how to explain the whole story to him.

"Take your time."

Sam paused, "Before Brooke's attack I tried to shoplift from her store, Clothes Over Bro's, but she caught me. And after that I went around with Jack, talking about how much I hated her and I stuck up she was…stupid things that I didn't mean. And then…Jack went home and told his brother, Xavier. And…then a few nights later…he attacked her, because of what I said."

The officer nodded slowly, "How do you know?"

"Brooke told me the attacker stole her sketches and I found them in Xavier's house a few weeks later, just sitting in his room, crumpled up." Sam said, voice cracking slightly. "And then I showed them to Brooke and kind of got into a fight so I left and went to Jack's. And Xavier was there and he got all creepy and sketchy…and then Brooke came and saved me. Brooke and Julian."

The officer nodded again, "And then…a two weeks later…"

Sam shook her head.

"Can you please, to the best of your ability, explain your recollection of the events that happened that night?" He asked, looking up at her.

Sam paused for a moment and then nodded hesitantly, "I wasn't asleep. I was in my bed reading…Lucas' book actually, The Comet, there'd been some hype about it and I wanted to make fun of him so…I was reading it, it was stupid." She shook her head, "And then I heard Brooke yelling."

"What was she yelling?"

Sam shut her eyes, it was almost like she could still hear it.

_"Sam, wake up! Sam! Sam! Wake up!" There was a short pause and then, "Sam I'm-" The sentence was cut short by the loud sound of someone falling down the stairs. _

_Sam jumped out of her bed and walked to the door, listening as a set of footsteps rushed towards her room. She stood by the door and waited for a few moments until finally, it swung open to reveal a very distressed looking Brooke standing in her doorway. _

_"Sam, thank god, you're awake." She said panting. _

_Sam looked at her and she could see that Brooke's arm was bleeding from what looked like scratch marks on her arm, "Brooke…what…?" She shook her head, completely baffled by whatever was happening. _

_Brooke didn't even wait for Sam to string together the rest of the question, "Sam, it's Xavier. He's in the house. And…oh god, we have to go get Lucas and Peyton and Jamie and tell them what's going on." She turned and rushed out of the room, motioning for Sam to follow. _

_Terrified, she jogged after Brooke as they entered Lucas' room only to find it empty. _

_Brooke walked over to the bed, "Where is he?" She looked around the room, as if she was going to find him hiding somewhere. And then she spotted the small door next to his dresser, "The attic." She pulled the small door open, "Sam go in there, okay? I'm going to go get Peyton and Jamie, but I want you to stay here. Don't open the door, okay? No matter what."_

_Sam nodded slowly and stepped into the small room, tears streaming down her face. She sat down on the hard, dusty floor as Brooke shut the door in front of her. It was dark and cluttered in the small attic full of old clothes from Clothes Over Bro's that Brooke had hoarded just so her mother couldn't have them. She leaned against one of the boxes and listened. She could hear Brooke walking down the hall to Jamie's room. And then she heard them exchange in a short conversation. Silently, she wished they would be quieter because if she could hear it, Xavier, wherever he was, could hear it too. _

_The footsteps walked past Lucas' room again into Peyton's room. And then nothing. _

_Silence. _

_It felt like the earth was standing still. The only sound she could hear was her heart beating loudly in her chest. Sweat covered her hands quickly as her anxiety set in. Here she was in this small, dark room, completely alone with no line of defense. If Xavier found her…she didn't know what she would do. Where was Brooke? Was she going to come back? _

_Sam shook her head, it would be stupid for Brooke to come back. Wherever she was, she was hiding and safe and she shouldn't risk that to come sit with her. _

_As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Sam was able to examine the small space that she was in. It was a weirdly shaped attic, the ceiling was slanted at an angle, making the room into a triangle shape. It was a few yards deep, but completely cluttered with boxes so there was no way she could move any further back. _

_As time passed, she tried to occupy herself, but the only thing running through her mind was Xavier. He was a psychopath and he was somewhere in their house. Maybe knocked out, maybe walking around, maybe outside. She didn't know and that was scary. _

_And then she heard footsteps again. They were coming from the hallway, but they were light and careful, it couldn't be Xavier, could it? She listened closely as the footsteps came to the door of Lucas' bedroom. Slowly, the door creaked open. _

_Sam held her breath, listening as it shut again and the footsteps walked straight to her small attic door. She looked around, trying to look for something, anything she could defend herself with, but all she saw were boxes. _

_And then she heard a voice, "Sam. It's Peyton." She said before pulling the door open and climbing into the small space with her. "Hey…are you okay?" She asked, looking over at Sam. _

_Sam was completely relieved to see Peyton. Now, she had company in her small room and that was the most comforting thing in the world to her, "I think so. Where did you come from?" She asked curiously. _

_"My room. Brooke and Jamie are in my closet right now and I was with them, but Brooke was worried about you. And I felt like she was going to volunteer to come sit with you so I came instead. I mean, Xavier's not after me so…" Peyton shrugged, "And I grabbed my phone so I'll call the police."_

_The police, Sam was so happy to hear that. The thought that someone would be coming to their rescue was so reassuring, "Good." She said, smiling a little bit. She watched as Peyton pulled out her phone only to find that she was being called already, by Lucas. _

_Sam watched as Peyton talked to him. _

_"Hello?" She answered before pausing and listening for a moment and then replying, "Brooke is okay, she's in my closet hiding with Jamie and Sam and I are in your room, hiding in the little attic thing. We're all okay right now. I was just getting ready to call the police, have you called them yet?"_

_Peyton paused. _

_"Well hang up then so I can call them."_

_Pause. _

_"Safe, we're all safe, Lucas. Hang up."_

_Peyton paused for another few seconds and then just hung up quickly before dialing 911 on her phone, but before she pressed call, they both heard the bedroom door creak open again. _

_Sam turned her head towards the door and listened as a set of footsteps walked into Lucas' room. They were loud, confident footsteps that made their way through Lucas' room slowly and meticulously. Sam bit her lip, praying that he wouldn't notice them, but then she heard a thud come from next to her. It was Peyton's phone hitting the ground. She wondered if whoever was on the other side of the door heard it. _

_The footsteps stopped. _

_Sam felt a tear slide down her cheek. _

_And then, the footsteps started again, rushing towards the small door. And before either of the women could react, the door was open and there they were, face to face with Xavier, a creepy, way too familiar, smile on his face. _

_Sam couldn't move. She couldn't breathe._

_She knew what this man was capable of and that he was angry at her and at Brooke for what they'd done. _

_She was sure this was it, this was the end for her and for what? A stupid comment she'd made about Brooke to her friends. This was all her fault, it was obvious and now, here she was, paying for it. _

_"Hello there." He said, leaning down towards them._

_But before he could do anything to them, Peyton turned and hit him across the face with a picture frame that Sam guessed she had found in one of the boxes or something. The hit stunned Xavier for a moment, giving Peyton enough time to pull Sam up. _

_"Run!" Peyton yelled. _

_And Sam didn't have to be told twice. She ran for the door and as she passed through the doorway, she heard Xavier pull Peyton back, but she just kept running. She didn't turn around, she didn't look back, she ran down the hall to Jamie's bedroom where she hid under his bed. She realized how cliché and obvious of a spot that was, but in that moment, she couldn't think of anything better. _

_After a few minutes of lying there, she heard footsteps rush down the stairs. It had to be Peyton or Brooke or someone because it wasn't Xavier's loud footsteps so it had to be one of them. And then she heard the sliding back door downstairs slide open and she smiled to herself, happy that at least someone had gotten out. _

_But the feeling faded quickly when she heard Xavier moving again. Rather than following the footsteps down the stairs, he walked around the upstairs hallways. She could hear him going through the rooms one by one. _

_And she made sure to be as still as possible when he reached Jamie's room. _

_She looked over, watching as his boots walked past Jamie's bed so painfully slow. For the second time that night, Sam was certain that he was going to find her. Last time, she'd been right. He had found them and now she was hiding under a bed, not a very bright hiding spot. _

_But he didn't stay long. He checked the closet quickly and then just made his way out of the room. Sam let out a barely audible sigh of relief when he was gone. She was alive, she was safe, he didn't know where she was and that was all the consolation she needed. All she had to do was just wait right where she was. _

_And she would have. _

_If she hadn't heard a noise in the bathroom on the other side of Jamie's wall. It was a scream, a terrified, heartbreaking scream that Sam recognized almost immediately. _

_Jamie. _

_"Finally, I found someone!" Xavier exclaimed, "Hey there Jamie, you thought you could hide from me?" She could practically hear his disgusting smile through the wall, "Well here I am. Next time you might want to pick a better hiding spot."_

_Jamie whimpered. _

_Sam couldn't let it go on anymore. She slid out from under the bed, ran out into the hall and then rushed to the bathroom where she found Xavier bent down in front of Jamie, who was crying underneath the sink. She leaped on his back, pushing Xavier down. His head hit the toilet with a sickening thump. _

_"Jamie, run!" Sam yelled, desperately. _

_Jamie met her eyes, his own filled with fear and desperation. He climbed out from under the sink and slid past Xavier's writhing body, out the door and down the hall, his small feet thudding against the ground as he ran._

_Sam listened for a few seconds, not sure where he was going. She wasn't sure he knew either. Underneath her, Xavier was just regaining his composure after hitting his head on the toilet. He jumped backwards, sending Sam crashing into the wall behind them. _

_ The force knocked the wind out of her, causing her to sink to the ground by the door and try to catch her breath, but that gave Xavier all the time in the world to turn around and grab her by the neck. He shoved her up against the wall, hands pushing mercilessly on her throat. She gasped for air, but couldn't get any in. And Xavier just watched her, staring her in the eyes as she felt the edges of her vision start to blur. If someone didn't do something soon, she was going to pass out. _

_And then he could do whatever he wanted with her. _

_She hoped someone would come and save her, but even in her moments of intense panic, she knew that was unlikely, so she did what any girl would have: she brought her knee up and made contact with the one spot that could bring any man to his knees. _

_And she made good contact. _

_Xavier groaned, grip around her neck loosening enough for her to catch her breath and push him away before stumbling out into the hallway where, in her hazy desperation, she yelled out for Lucas or Peyton or Brooke. "Help me!" She screamed. _

_But Xavier had already recovered. He trudged out into the hallway and pushed Sam to the ground before climbing on top of her and flipping her over so they were face to face. He straddled her and pinned her wrists down on the hard wood floor. A smile creeped onto his face as he glared down at her. _

_"Please! No! No!" Tears stung her eyes, "Someone help, please!"_

_Xavier leaned in close, "No one is going to save you." He breathed. _

_Sam closed her eyes and tried to imagine herself somewhere else, somewhere peaceful and safe, somewhere that people like Xavier didn't exist. But it didn't work. She could feel his breath on her neck. He did exist. She was not peaceful or safe, she was far from it. _

_But she kept her eyes shut, Xavier's eyes were just so threatening that she couldn't bear to look into them anymore. She felt him move slightly and she flinched, wondering what Xavier was doing, but she didn't look, she just kept her eyes squeezed shut and listened to the sound of his excited breaths._

_Until, a few seconds later, she heard something else: footsteps. _

_They were coming up the stairs quickly and loudly, more than one set too. She couldn't tell how many people it was going to be, but she took comfort in the fact that it was more than one. Xavier was outnumbered, what could he do? _

_Nothing. _

_He was cornered. _

_Sam opened her eyes only to see Xavier looking over towards the stairs. She followed his gaze and looked just in time to see Brooke emerge at the top of the stairs with Lucas on her heels. She looked plagued with worry, maybe even fear, while Lucas just looked angry, typical of a man in this kind of situation. _

_They both spotted Xavier at the same time. _

_The shock registered on their faces as they took in the situation. _

_Brooke stepped forward, "Xavier, it's me that you want. Not her. She's on your side, she's the one who told you to attack me, alright?" She said, trying to get him to let her go, "Take me instead." She took another step towards them. _

_Lucas grabbed her arm, "Brooke."_

_She didn't listen, just gently pulled her arm away from Lucas, holding eye contact with Xavier. _

_But he just laughed, "How stupid do you think I am? Sam is your daughter. And she's the person who got me caught by the cops. Now I have to live on the run and for what? Stealing some stupid sketches and roughing you up a little bit?"_

_"A __**little bit**__?" Brooke asked, anger radiating in her eyes. "I couldn't move after you left. I was limping for days and I couldn't see out of either of my eyes the day after you attacked me. You're a psychopath." She stated with a shake of her head. _

_Xavier shrugged, "Maybe so." He said with a sigh, "But at least I'm willing to accept what I am." He looked down at Sam._

_"What is that supposed to mean?" Brooke asked. _

_But Xavier shot her a look, "I'm not talking to you."_

_Sam looked up at Xavier, terrified, "What?" She asked, unsure what he was talking about. _

_He explained, "You think living with this stuck up rich family makes you better than me and Jack? No. You're poor, you're trash and you can't change that. And even more, you can't pretend to be something you're not." He looked up, "Living in this house…going to school…doesn't that feel wrong to you?"_

_Sam didn't reply, instead, she looked up and spotted a pair of shoes sitting on the ground above her head. Quickly, she grabbed one and whacked Xavier across the face with it. It didn't deter him as much as she thought it would have though. It just angered him even more. And in his rage and panic, he reared back before bringing his fist down to Sam's face. _

"That's all I remember." Sam said to the officer after finishing her story. "I don't know how I got out, I don't know how it caught on fire, I don't know how Lucas and Brooke…I don't know."

The officer nodded, "That's what we're trying to find out."

"Why does it even matter anymore?" Sam asked, staring down at the table. "This, why does any of this even matter? It's over. It's done. And now, it's irrelevant." She shook her head, crossing her arms tightly over her chest.

The officer leaned forward, "We will find out, Sam." He paused for a moment, "Because it does matter. If not to you, it does to someone else."

Sam looked up at him. It did matter to her. She was just angry. That this happened. That she had to relive it over and over. That everything had turned out this way. Why? It was so random and mean and cruel. And she just didn't understand. But the officer was right. Knowing did matter. She wanted answers, reasons. But she wasn't sure that she would actually get them.

* * *

**"In fact, he sorely hoped that it would happen, because otherwise, the world made no sense, there was no justice, and life was just a tangled ball of chaos."**

Christopher Moore

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**A/N: **Hey! Thanks so much for the reviews to the last chapter, those were great. I hope everyone likes this chapter. Don't worry, you'll eventually get answers. The story will be pieced together. Anyway, for the past 12 chapters, I've had the chapters pre-written before I posted them, but now the updates have caught up, meaning that every week I am going to have to write a whole chapter before I post it, which will be hard. So I'm sorry if I'm a little bit off with the update days, but I don't want to rush and post something I'm not confident in so sorry in advance. I hope you like the upcoming chapters, please review!


	14. My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark

**"Everything can change in an instant. Everything. And then there is only before and after."**

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

* * *

He tried not look at his hands.

Sitting there in the police station, surrounded by officers and victims and witnesses, surrounded by people and conversations, all he could think about was his hands. He stared forward, his palms down against his thighs.

How had this happened? He felt like his world had been turned upside down, like nothing would ever be the same again. And around him, the world kept spinning, the people walked through their lives, oblivious, innocent, naïve. He should have taken comfort in that: the fact that life goes on, that the world didn't stop.

But he didn't.

He just felt shock. It went deep, touched his core and stayed there, resonating through his body, through his mind and it wouldn't go away. He couldn't believe…he just couldn't understand any of it. And the more he tried to, the more that he tried and tried to give himself answers, the more he felt the shock and fear.

And his hands.

He faltered and glanced down at them. But all he saw was red. He shook his head and there it was again, the shock. He knew what that was on his hands. It was blood, stained on his hands, blood. And the worst part was that it wasn't even his. He had someone else's blood on _his _hands.

Shock.

Maybe that was all he could feel.

The shock of what had happened, the shock of the events that followed, the shock of what people were capable of, the shock of what he, himself, was capable of. Shock and fear and realization and change.

One day.

The days leading up to this had been some of the best he'd had in a long time. And it occurred to him now that those could have very well been his last days, ever. If the events of the night before had gone differently, if he hadn't acted, if Brooke and Sam and Peyton and Jamie hadn't all played their parts, he could have died.

Those days could have been his last days and that was terrifying to think about. He hadn't even known it then. He shook his head, thinking maybe that was his last day, his last _good_ day. Would the shock fade? Would things ever be back to normal?

He didn't know.

All he did know was that he was in a police station, his hands were covered in blood and he was shocked and afraid, genuinely afraid that day a few days earlier had been his last good day.

To his right, a door opened and closed.

He didn't look up.

"Lucas."

He recognized Sam's voice and slowly lifted his head, "Hey." He said, clearing his throat, "How was it?" He asked, just because it was a courtesy question.

Sam shrugged and shook her head, "It wasn't bad. The officer is a decent person. It was just hard to get through everything that happened, you know?" She paused, "I think Peyton and I are going to head down to the hospital to visit everyone and apparently, Hailey and Nathan are flying back to town tomorrow…" She looked down at him and touched his arm lightly, "We can wait for you if you want…"

Lucas shook his head, "No go ahead. It will probably take me a while to get through everything anyway." He said as he stood up.

"Well, good luck." Sam said, moving past him.

He nodded slowly and walked to the door that she had just walked out of.

"And Lucas?"

He turned around to face her only to see her walked over quickly and embrace him, "Thank you."

Surprised, Lucas put his arms around her and nodded.

She disconnected from him, met his eyes for a moment and then turned and walked away.

And Lucas turned too, pushing open the door that Sam had exited from a few minutes earlier. It lead to a small room, where two officers stood in front of a two-way mirror, looking into the interrogation room where a third officer was sitting.

The two officers looked up when he walked in, "Lucas Scott?" One of them asked.

The name sounded foreign to his ears. Slowly, he nodded, walking towards them.

"You can go ahead in." He nodded to another door that led into the interrogation room.

Lucas nodded quietly and headed for the door. He stopped right as he got to it, his confidence faltering. He heard one of the officers say something behind him, but he didn't pay attention to it. He just took in a deep breath, pushed the door open and tried to keep his eyes off of his hands.

The officer looked up as he walked in.

Lucas observed the man, he had kind eyes and his smile was reassuring. He didn't look as intimidating as Lucas had pictured. Slowly, he walked towards the table where the officer was sitting.

"Please sit." He said emotionlessly.

Lucas nodded and sat down in the uncomfortable metal chair. He looked across the steel table at the officer again, who was looking down at a file sitting out on the table in front of him, "Lucas Scott?" He asked, looking up.

Lucas nodded again.

"Hello, I'm Officer Parks. I'm sorry that we have to meet under these circumstances." He said, solemnly, but it seemed genuine. When Lucas didn't say anything, he continued, unfazed. "I'm going to ask you a series of questions to begin, don't be nervous, just be honest. After that, I'll just have you explain the events of that night as you remember them."

Lucas nodded slowly, "Alright." He said, surprised at how hoarse his voice was. He assumed it had something to do with smoke inhalation or maybe the screaming. He cleared his throat and shook the thoughts away.

"Well let's get started then." Officer Parks said shortly, "Mr. Scott, can you please explain how you know Brooke Davis and how you came to be living in her house?" He asked, looking down at the file again.

Lucas assumed he already knew the answer, this officer had had several other people in before him, telling the exact same story so he knew this must have come up already. "I met her in high school, we dated twice and broke up twice. We are both godparents to Jamie Scott, my brother's son so when Jamie's mom and dad decided to go on a rock tour, they left him with Brooke and she said I could stay in her house and help out." He said, glancing at the camera. He could feel the lens burning into him from the corner behind the officer.

"Good, uh, what did you know about the whole Xavier situation?" He asked, "Did she tell you about the attacks?"

"Not directly after they happened, no." Lucas said, "She told me about the first one a few days after it happened and the second, she never directly even told me about. I heard the story from Julian and Sam."

"In the past few days, had you noticed anything out of the ordinary?"

"Anything that would have alerted me that this was going to happen?" Lucas looked down at the steel table, "No." He shook his head, "I didn't notice anything."

"That's alright." Officer Parks said with a nod, "Most people don't. Uh, what about yesterday? During the day, did you notice anything out of the ordinary? A door left open, noises outside, cars driving by way too slow…?"

Lucas tried to think, but truthfully, he'd spent most of yesterday with Brooke. They'd sat in his room and talked for half the day, only leaving his room at noon for lunch before retreating back and going on to look at yearbooks and through his books and just talk…like _reall_y talk to one another.

"I didn't notice anything." He repeated.

Officer Parks nodded slowly, "Alright well…let's move on to that night, well, last night. It was around midnight, you were probably in bed, most likely sleeping…" He prompted, looking at Lucas, waiting for his response.

"I wasn't sleeping." Lucas said with a shake of his head, "I was writing."

* * *

_Lucas was stuck. _

_It had been two hours since his last block and it had only lasted a few minutes before he was able to continue writing again._

_He didn't know what brought on this random writing session. It was weird, after everyone was in bed, he just had a story in his head that he had to get down. The urgency that he felt to get his ideas onto paper caused him to write quickly and abundantly. _

_But then he got stuck. _

_It happened, he knew. Sometimes, even when he would think that he was flowing, that his ideas were unstoppable, he would just get stuck. His mind would wander and then, it would be done. He would lose the idea and spend days, maybe weeks, trying to get it back. _

_So when he got stuck, he tried desperately to remember what inspired him in the first place and all he could come up with was Brooke. Just hanging out with her and Peyton and Jamie all this past week, he'd been inspired, by Brooke especially. He could see her moving past the whole Xavier thing and he admired that so much, how she was able to overcome such monumental things and move on with her life. It really was extraordinary. _

_He smiled, realizing that he'd just spent 10 minutes alone thinking about Brooke. He found himself doing that a lot lately, thinking about her. Maybe it was because they were getting close again or maybe it was just because his feelings for her still hadn't changed. He wondered if the same could be said for her. _

_Slowly, he stood up from where he had been sitting on the couch, carrying his laptop with him over to the kitchen counter where he set it down, saved his work and then shut it. He walked to the fridge to get some water before bed, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. _

_Surprised, Lucas looked at a clock hanging above the sink in the kitchen. It was 12:39 in the morning. Who would be visiting? He tried not to be suspicious. Late night visits in this town weren't as uncommon as they should have been. He walked to the door, sighed, and then opened it. _

_And there, standing on the front porch, was Xavier. He was blank faced, his fists were clenched and there was an emotion in his eyes that was somewhat threatening and somewhat crazed. His mouth curved upwards into a sinister smile. _

_For a moment, Lucas thought he was dreaming until he tightened his grip and felt the smooth metal doorknob in his hand. He was awake. This wasn't a nightmare, it was reality. He tried to choke out words, but his mind was blank. _

_Xavier looked at him expectantly, as if waiting for him to say something. His smile only grew. _

_Lucas wasn't sure whether he should run and warn Brooke or lunge straight for Xavier right then. Ultimately, he decided on the first option. Quickly, he shut the door in Xavier's face and locked it before running to the back door and locking that door. After that, he ran to Brooke's room, bursting through the door. _

_"Brooke!" He exclaimed, switching the light on. _

_Brooke rolled over, squinting. She grumbled something inaudibly before adding, "What the hell do you think you're doing, Lucas?" She asked, pushing some hair out of her face as she slowly sat up in her bed. _

_Lucas pointed behind him, "Someone knocked on the door. It was Xavier, Brooke. He's here, he's outside. We have to hide or run or something, we have to do something." He took a short pause, "You. You and Sam have to get out of here before-"_

_"Lucas."_

_He shook his head, "Brooke there's no time. This can't be happening. He can't be here for you, the police were supposed to find him, they were supposed to-"_

_"Lucas, I know."_

_He barely heard her, "There's no time, we have to go."_

_Brooke got out of her bed and walked up to him, "There's time." She said softly, "You need to take a breath, okay?"_

_Lucas was surprised by that. He looked down at her and could see the fear radiating in her eyes. He knew she was just as scared as he was, but she was just trying a lot harder to stay calm and he knew that his panic wasn't helping so he took her advice and took in a deep breath. It helped to calm him down a little bit, enough to think clearly._

_"Alright, what should we do?"_

_Brooke opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a loud knock at the door. _

_"Stay here." Lucas said as he started to walk out the doorway. _

_Brooke followed, "No. I'm coming with you."_

_Lucas turned back, "Brooke. Stay here."_

_She stared back at him, defiantly, "Lucas. We don't have time to argue. I'll wait behind the stairs, okay? But I want to know what's going on." She said. _

_Lucas sighed, "Fine." He said before walking out the doorway and down the hallway. When they were walking around the stairs towards the front door, Lucas gestured for Brooke to stay back and she nodded, hiding around the corner, watching as Lucas pulled the door open. _

_The initial surprise had faded by then. This time Lucas' adrenaline was pumping, his heart was racing. He was ready. The door swung open. _

_Empty. _

_The porch was empty. _

_Lucas glanced backwards at Brooke, wondering where Xavier had gone. "Stay here." He whispered back to Brooke before venturing slowly out onto the front porch, looking around. He still didn't see anyone, but after a few seconds standing there, he heard a noise come from the bushes in front of the house. The moment he heard it, he raced down the porch steps and over towards the bushes. _

_He walked through the bushes and the plants at the front of the house where he'd heard the noise, but there was no one. He shook his head, frustrated and then turned back towards the door. But when he did, he saw Xavier, standing there on the front porch again. _

_Lucas, horrified, raced towards him._

_But it was too late. Xavier quickly entered the house, shutting and locking Lucas out behind him. _

_"BROOKE!" Lucas yelled, terrified of the thought of having Xavier and Brooke in the same house without him there to protect her. "Brooke! Xavier is inside! Run, hide!" He yelled before running down the front steps of the house and then around the side of the house to the back porch where there were clear, glass sliding doors, both locked. _

_He didn't see anyone at first. But then he saw Xavier run through the living room, Brooke following behind him, yelling something. Xavier tried to run up the stairs, but Brooke pulled him down when he was halfway up. He fell down to the bottom while Brooke pushed on, running up the rest of the way._

_What seemed like a matter of minutes later, Lucas watched in horror as Xavier rose from the ground. He banged on the glass door in front of him, trying to warn Brooke or Sam or Jamie or Peyton, whoever was asleep upstairs. He looked at the glass in front of him, wondering if he should break it or not. _

_He decided he had to. _

_Turning away from the door, Lucas looked around for something that he could break the glass with. He saw two chairs, a table, some cups, but nothing big enough or sturdy enough to break the thick glass doors. He looked over the side of the porch and remembered there was a shovel under the stairs. He glanced back towards the door, hoping that nothing would happen while he was gone. He ventured down the stairs carefully, with no porch lights guiding him, he was basically blind. When he reached the bottom, he felt around for the shovel until finally he got a hold of it. He was on his way back up the stairs when his phone rang. _

_His phone. _

_He had totally forgotten about his phone, he could have called the police or Brooke or someone. He looked down at the caller ID. It said that it was Peyton calling. Concerned, he picked up. He listened carefully without saying anything only to hear static and some mumbling on the other side. He assumed she'd accidentally butt-dialed so he hung up and redialed her. _

_"Hello?" Peyton's voice came through suddenly, sounding both distressed and calm at the same time. _

_"Peyton!" Lucas exclaimed into the phone, heart pounding. "Xavier is inside. You have to get out of here, warn Brooke and Sam and Jamie. He locked me outside and I'm on the back porch, I'm about to break a window or something. Go get Brooke!" He was so worried that she was in danger. _

_"Brooke is okay, she's in my closet hiding with Jamie and Sam and I are in your room, hiding in the little attic thing. We're all okay right now. I was just getting ready to call the police, have you called them yet?"_

_Lucas shook his head even though she couldn't see it, "No." He said softly, realizing that someone probably should and soon._

_"Okay well then hang up so I can call them." Peyton said urgently. _

_Lucas wasn't ready to hang up just yet. "Wait. What?" He had to be sure that everyone was safe and hiding. He needed more information to settle his nerves. "Where is everyone?"_

_"Safe, we're all safe Lucas, hang up." Peyton said frustratedly. _

_Lucas clutched the shovel tightly in his hand. "Peyton, Xavier just went up stairs. You need to be careful…" he trailed off, glancing at the screen of his phone. The call had ended, she had hung up on him. He cursed, shoving his phone into his pocket while clutching the shovel tightly between his hands._

_ He stared at the thick glass doors for a moment, hesitating. He was worried if he just hit the glass with the shovel, that the glass would spray everywhere and potentially hurt him when it happened or hurt someone else later. _

_But as he looked up at the window above him on the second floor, Jamie's window, he decided that it was worth it. He reared back, about to try to break the door, when he saw Peyton emerge at the bottom of the stairs. He froze. _

_She looked panicked, her hair was messy, her eyes were wide and her head was darting around quickly, looking for somewhere to go. For a brief moment, she looked out a spotted Lucas. They exchanged a quick look of panic before Peyton turned around to look at Brooke, who had also just emerged from the stairs too. _

_They exchanged a few words as Brooke looked up at the stairs, nervously, but then Peyton added something else, Brooke nodded and they stood there for a moment, not saying anything. That was Lucas' chance. _

_He banged on the glass door loudly to get their attention. They both looked over at once, as if they had forgotten he was there. Together, they rushed over and pulled the door open. _

_Before they had even stepped outside, Lucas started talking: "Brooke, Peyton, thank god you're okay. Where's Jamie? And Sam?" He asked, so relieved to see that they were both okay. He saw that Peyton's head was bleeding slightly and Brooke's right hand was bleeding and she was holding it close to her body. _

_Brooke glanced backwards as she started to answer his question, "Jamie is hiding underneath a cabinet in the bathroom and Sam…we don't know." She said uneasily, glancing back at the house, looking very anxious._

_Lucas nodded, thinking. Now that the doors were open, he could go in and find Xavier or find Sam and Jamie. He could finally help, but he had to make sure Brooke and Peyton were safe too. "Well, you two come out here and I'll go get Sam and Jamie, okay? Did you call the police?"_

_He watched as Peyton patted her pockets, eyes wide with realization.. "No." She said, "I dropped my phone somewhere."_

_Lucas nodded, reaching into his own pocket and pulling out his phone. "That's okay. Here's my phone." He handed it to her before leading Peyton out of the house and starting to lead Brooke out too, but she stopped before she was completely out the door. _

_Brooke looked hesitant to go out. She bit her lip and looked back into the house again, anxious and then she looked back over at Lucas, who easily picked up on her anxiety and gentle brushed his hand against her arm, hoping it would offer some kind of comfort._

_"I'm gonna get her, okay?" He said, taking one of her hands and starting to gently pull her out of the house. "I will get her and Jamie and I'll bring them back to you, I promise." He said, gazing at her firmly, "I will."_

_Brooke nodded slowly and started to walk out when they all heard something coming from the house. She stopped, frozen and listened. _

_"Help me!" _

_Brooke's eyes widened._

_"Please! No! No! Someone help, please!"_

_Sam. _

_Lucas tried to grab Brooke and pull her out of the house, but he never got the chance because before he could even move to do it, she had pulled her hand out of his grasp and ran back into the house, heading for the stairs._

_He would have followed her immediately, but he was scared that Peyton would follow too and he wanted at least one of them to be safe. So he turned back to her. "Stay here, call the police." He said quickly before shutting the door and running after Brooke. He could see her going up the stairs so he went up them two at a time, hoping to catch up. She froze when she got to the top and Lucas, sprinting up the stairs, almost ran into her. _

_Almost. _

_He skidded to a stop just behind her and took in the sight ahead of them. _

_Xavier had Sam pinned on the ground, one of his hands balled into a fist, the other was pinning down both of Sam's wrists. His face was inches from Sam's and there was anger radiating in his eyes. He looked over at Brooke and Lucas as they arrived, looking surprised._

_Brooke stepped forward, "Xavier, it's me that you want. Not her. She's on your side, she's the one who told you to attack me, alright?" She said, trying to get him to let her go, "Take me instead." She took another step towards them. _

_But Lucas didn't like that, there had to be another way to get Sam free…other than this. It seemed to risky to him. _

_He reached out and grabbed her arm, "Brooke."_

_But she was stubborn and desperate. Without saying anything or acknowledging his concern, she gently pulled her arm away from him, not taking her eyes off of Xavier. _

_But Xavier just let out a sinister laugh, "How stupid do you think I am? Sam is your daughter. And she's the person who got me caught by the cops. Now I have to live on the run and for what? Stealing some stupid sketches and roughing you up a little bit?"_

_"A __**little bit**__?" Brooke asked and Lucas could hear the anger in her voice. He saw her hands shaking slightly at her sides, but he doubted Xavier could tell from that far away. "I couldn't move after you left. I was limping for days and I couldn't see out of either of my eyes the day after you attacked me. You're a psychopath." She stated with a shake of her head. _

_Lucas agreed._

_But Xavier just shrugged, "Maybe so." He said with a sigh, like he'd already come to terms with himself. "But at least I'm willing to accept what I am." He looked down at Sam._

_"What is that supposed to mean?" Brooke asked. _

_Xavier shot her a look, "I'm not talking to you."_

_Sam looked up at Xavier, terror in her eyes, "What?" She asked, voice trembling in horror. _

_Xavier didn't mind explaining, "You think living with this stuck up rich family makes you better than me and Jack? No. You're poor, you're trash and you can't change that. And even more, you can't pretend to be something you're not." He looked up, "Living in this house…going to school…doesn't that feel wrong to you?"_

_Sam didn't reply though. In a split second, she grabbed a shoe that was on the ground above her and whacked Xavier across the face with it. But it didn't do much. He just got even angrier, rearing back before bringing his fist down to Sam's face._

_Brooke and Lucas both watched as the punch collided with her head. Almost immediately, Sam's head lulled and she went limp. And Xavier was still on top of her, panting angrily like a madman. _

_But Brooke was just as crazed. Seeing her daughter, her family hurt like that, was not okay. She ran over to Xavier jumped onto his back, shoving him to the ground on the hardwood floor next to Sam's lifeless body. _

_Lucas was frozen for a moment. His heart was beating and his hands were shaking. He looked up and saw Xavier throw Brooke off of him, against a wall. And he just watched. He willed himself to move, but it was like he was stuck, paralyzed. _

_Brooke let out a whimper when she collided with the wall and just as she recovered, Xavier was seizing her. He pinned her to the ground, hands over her throat, pushing down. She gasped for air, but she couldn't get any in. _

_And Lucas felt like he was going to pass out. He had to help her, but he couldn't move. His eyes were wide, his legs frozen. And there was Brooke, lying there, choking to death right in front of him. _

_"Luke…" Brooke gasped. _

_In the same instant, Jamie appeared across from Lucas at the other end of the hall. He looked at his uncle, "Do something!" He yelled, his voice desperate, his face soaked in tears. _

_And that finally snapped Lucas out of it. He shook his head and stepped forward, slowly at first, and then he gained speed, tackling Xavier, pulling the crazed maniac off of Brooke, who wheezed for air once he was off. _

_Lucas pulled back and punched Xavier hard on the nose. Blood spurted out almost immediately. It was overwhelming and Lucas hadn't been expecting it. It got on his hands as he grabbed Xavier by the collar of his shirt, but he didn't care. "You worthless…bastard." He said through his teeth, trying to control his anger._

_But Xavier disregarded it and kicked Lucas off of him and into a nearby wall before pushing himself up off the ground and running for the stairs. _

_Brooke was at the other end of the hall, Jamie on her hip. "Lucas!" She exclaimed. _

_Lucas looked up, his head spinning. He blinked a few times, looking up at her and Jamie. He could see the bruise marks forming on her neck already. He shook his head, "He won't leave. He isn't done yet." He said confidently. He knew bastard like him. They wouldn't leave without getting what they came for: satisfaction. And Lucas was sure that Xavier hadn't gotten that yet. _

_"Let's get everyone outside." He said as he stood up and walked over to Sam, gently lifting her off of the ground. He glanced back at Brooke as he head for the stairs, "You alright?" He asked briefly as they rushed down. _

_Brooke nodded, "Yea, You?" She asked, on his heels. _

_Lucas nodded too, "I'm okay. How about you, J. Luke? You still being brave back there?"_

_When Jamie didn't answer, Brooke cut in. "He sure is. He's been my rock through all of this, he really has." She said as she brushed some of his hair out of his face. _

_Lucas smirked, rushing towards the back door. He was so relieved to be that close to safety. Through the glass, he could see Peyton standing out there talking on the phone. He would have called out for her too, but he was cut off by Xavier's voice. _

_"You think you have everything?" He shook his head, a lit match in his hand. "Well, maybe after this you'll know how it feels…to be lonely and unappreciated, unwanted."_

_"Please…" Lucas heard Brooke say from behind him. _

_But Xavier just shook his head, "It's too late for that." He said as he lit some nearby curtains on fire. _

_Lucas thought that was stupid at first. Just lighting the curtains would do damage, but not as much as Xavier probably wanted. Plus, it left the back door clearly accessible for them all to escape to safety. It was stupid. _

_Until Xavier dropped the match on the floor. _

_The fire spread quickly. It only took a few seconds for Lucas to realize why. While they were all regrouping upstairs, Xavier had been pouring gasoline on the floor. Not much, but a small line of it, enough to spread the fire quickly across the living room, blocking the back door off. _

_Jamie screamed. _

_"Shhh…" Brooke said, rocking him. "We're okay. Let's go to the front door, it's okay. It's okay." She kept saying to him as she rushed over to the front door. She held out her free hand and struggle to unlock the door with shaky hands._

_But Xavier was approaching too, quickly. He had followed their group over to the front door. Lucas, thinking quickly, set Sam down on ground next to the stairs and pushed Xavier back into the couch, where he stumbled against it, getting dangerously close to the fire before charging back at Lucas and slamming him into the wall. _

_Brooke, a few feet away, had gotten the front door open and had set Jamie outside. "Go run to the back porch and find your Aunt Peyton, okay? Be safe. I love you, Jame." She said quickly before turning back to drag Sam out the front door. _

_The smoke in the house was getting thick, but luckily, the front door was open, making it slightly easier for the smoke to air out. _

_Lucas was still inside, the smoke clogging his lungs, making him feel slow and heavy. But it felt like it wasn't even deterring Xavier. He fought with exuberance and energy and Lucas was trying his best to hold him off. _

_But "holding someone off" and "winning" were two different things. And Lucas was getting tired, his legs were starting to feel weak and with every punched he dodged or took, he got slower. Until finally, Xavier pushed him against the wall and he hit his head. It felt like slow motion when he was falling to the ground and when he hit, he couldn't get up. It was easier to breathe on the ground, but his legs were so tired. _

_He could see Xavier looming over him and he waited silently for the pain to come, whatever form it would be. _

_But then he heard footsteps coming from the door. Heels. He knew it was Brooke. When he looked up, he saw her jump onto Xavier's back, pushing him into the wall. "Lucas!" He heard her yell._

_And then he heard a loud thud. When he looked over, Brooke was on the ground next to him, writhing in what looked like pain. She let out a low moan, her face covered in the soot that was drifting down from the ceiling._

_That made Lucas mad. He couldn't let Xavier get away with that. Slowly, he pushed himself off the ground and charged at Xavier, who was walking towards Brooke. "Get away from her!" He growled, fiercely._

_Xavier didn't back off though. _

_They both charged at each other, but Lucas had already gained more speed. He tackled Xavier, landing dangerously close to the fire that was raging on. He got some leverage and wrapped his hands around Xavier's neck, squeezing as hard as he could. _

_Xavier struggled, arms flailing, but Lucas didn't move. His anger and protectiveness were fueling him on. He watched as Xavier started to get weaker and weaker as he gasped for air underneath Lucas. And, thinking he was close to being passed out, Lucas loosened his grip the slightest bit. _

_That gave Xavier a split second to shift his weight and cause Lucas to lose his grip. After that, it was all downhill from there. Xavier pushed Lucas off, gasped in some contaminated, smoke-filled air and then pushed Lucas off. But instead of going after Lucas again, he pursued Brooke, who was a few feet away and hadn't moved in the last few minutes. _

_He crawled towards her. _

_Disoriented, Lucas blinked a few times, "Brooke…" He called._

_Xavier got closer to her and once he was a few feet away, she squirmed, crawling for the door. But it wasn't enough. He was on her in minutes. He pulled her backwards, sliding her across the hardwood floor. And then he held her down by her wrists and got in her face. _

_She screamed softly, her voice almost hoarse from the fumes._

_Lucas wasn't about to let anything happen though. He rose off the ground slowly and walked over to a nearby table near the fire. He lifted a large lamp and pulled it out of the outlet in the wall. And then he trudged over to Xavier just as he was leaning down towards Brooke. _

_He brought the lamp down on Xavier's head. It was made of thick glass and it broke on impact. And finally, Xavier was out. He fell on top of Brooke and didn't get up. _

_Lucas dropped the lamp and looked down at his hands. They were covered in blood and small pieces of glass. He gulped hard and shook it off for the sake of getting out. They weren't completely in the clear yet. The fire was spreading and he was still inside, along with Brooke, who was pinned under Xavier and wasn't moving. _

_Lucas could barely see. His eyes were watering and he was coughing so much that he could barely hear the crackling of the fire. He leaned down and pushed Xavier's lifeless body off of Brooke, chills going down his spine. Underneath him was Brooke, sprawled out and unconscious on the ground. _

_"Brooke." Lucas crouched down and shook her. _

_She didn't move. _

_The smoke was too thick now, he couldn't stand it anymore. With all the strength he could muster, he slid his arms underneath Brooke and lifted her off the ground, her arms hanging limply beside her body. He stood up and walked towards the door, swaying as he did. He couldn't walk straight, he could barely breathe. _

_And then he saw the doorway, the air was getting slightly better. Slightly. He heard a cough and looked down to see Brooke was awake in his arms. Well, kind of. Her eyes were open, but her arms were still limp. She looked up at Lucas, her eyes red and puffy. Over the crackling of the fire and his coughing, he heard her speak, "Lucas…"_

_He looked down. _

_"My…house." She whispered, her voice barely audible because of the other sounds, "No. It's…burning down…" She breathed, "Lucas, no…"_

_He continued on towards the door until he finally reached the doorway. The smoke was floating up towards the sky and spreading, creating thick, dark grey puffs. He carried her down the front steps and into the grass where he finally collapsed. _

_Finally, the air was fresh. _

_But it was almost sting their lungs. The smoke had caused their throats to swell, making it extremely hard to breathe, even when the air was clear. _

_Lucas laid down in the cool grass next to Brooke and looked up at the sky, the puffs of smoke blocking the bright, full moon. He reached over and took Brooke's hand in his, squeezing it tightly. _

_"My house…" She breathed. _

_"It's on fire…" Lucas finished, his throat rough, especially when he spoke, "I'm sorry." He glanced over, he could hear her wheezing next to him, gasping for air. He knew what she was feeling, but he was trying to keep his breathing slow. Panicking would only make it worse. _

_"I..." She wheezed, "don't…want…to…die."_

_Lucas rubbed her arm, "You aren't going to die…" He whispered back, his eyes lulling closed. He could hear sirens in the distance. But like him, he knew Brooke couldn't stay awake. Her hand was going limp in his and her wheezing was getting slower and slower until finally, silence. _

_"No one is going to die today." _

_And then darkness._

* * *

**"Together, they would watch everything that was so carefully planned collapse, and they would smile at the beauty of destruction."**

Markus Zusak, _The Book Thief_

* * *

**A/N: **So I have a challenge for all of my readers out there. I've been feeling in a "posting" kind of mood, if that exists so I have a proposition for you. Last time, I did this, the number of reviews was 10, but I feel like that's too easy, you guys did that in like less than a day. This time, 20. Do you think you can do it? I think you can. If you do post 20 reviews before Friday, I will post the next chapter and maybe another if I finish another. The point is there will be a reward. How big? I don't know yet. But it's a challenge. All you have to do is review. So just do it (Nike). Thanks so much for reading. Hope you liked the chapter and are motivated enough to take on my challenge.


	15. Your Guardian Angel

**"There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and morehurtful than anything that bleeds."**

Laurell K. Hamilton

* * *

It felt like his life was moving in slow motion. He felt heavy, his heart, his legs, his lungs especially. Every time Lucas took in a breath, it felt like his lungs were three times smaller than they were supposed to be. He took short, painful breaths. But the doctors said he was fine.

Define fine.

He was falling apart. He kept flashing back to that moment. The moment when he smashed the lamp against Xavier's head, the moment when he ended someone else's life. He wasn't sure he would ever be the same. Something changed in him. Something was different. He didn't know what or why he had changed, but in that moment, everything had changed. Maybe forever.

He walked out of the interrogation room, staring down at the ugly, patterned floors. A sigh escaped his lips. That had been happening a lot lately. Sighs. He didn't know what else to do. He couldn't smile or think or anything, so he just sighed.

As he walked out and sighed, again, he looked up and saw Sam standing by the front desk. He walked up to her, surprised, "What are you still doing here?" He asked, "I thought you were going to the hospital with Peyton."

Sam looked up at him, "I didn't want you to be alone."

Lucas gave her a long look, touched.

"And Peyton left already so I didn't have a ride to the hospital…" She paused, "But mostly the first reason." She said, giving him a half-hearted smile.

Lucas shook his head, "Some things never change." He said with a smirk, "Come on, let's go."

They walked out of the police department and then Lucas drove them both over to the hospital. In the parking lot, he saw Peyton's car and a few spots over, he saw Nathan and Haley's car too. He let out a sigh.

There it was again. A sigh.

He looked over at Sam once they were parked, "How are you?" He asked, "I feel like no one has asked you that yet and it's probably because of the chaos and the panic and everything else, but that doesn't mean we don't care." He paused, "So really…how are you?"

Sam shrugged and looked down at her hands, "Just as baffled as everyone else. I just never thought…I mean, I guess that's what everyone says after something like this happens. They say, 'Oh I was so naive, I never saw it coming. Things won't be the same', but I just...I don't know. I just didn't see this coming and I really wasn't prepared."

"None of us were, but hey…" Lucas rubbed her arm, "We're all here and we're gonna stick together through this."

Sam nodded slowly, but didn't say anything.

Lucas paused, "I know you read my book." He said suddenly, "So I know you know that I've been through something…similar to this, around the same age too so I understand how you're feeling and I want you to know that you're not alone, alright? Don't try to be." He shrugged, "I know Brooke took you in, but if you ever need anyone to talk to, you can talk to me too."

Sam looked over at him, "I'll keep that in mind."

Lucas nodded and patted her arm, "Come on. We'd better get inside." He said before pushing his door open and stepping out. He led Sam over to the front doors of the hospital which slid open as they walked through. Once inside, they walked up to the desk in the waiting room and asked to Jamie Scott because they knew that was probably where everyone was gathered, well almost everyone. They gave him the room number because he was Jamie's uncle and they started on their way.

They stepped into the elevator and started going up.

It was quiet at first and then, "Do you think about him a lot?" Sam asked suddenly, "You're uncle?"

It shocked Lucas at first, he hadn't gotten that question in years. And he hadn't spoken about it in years. He looked over at Sam, trying to come up with an answer.

She shook her head, "Sorry I didn't mean to…" She trailed off, not even sure where she was going with the second half of that sentence.

Lucas shook his head, "No, no." He shrugged, "I mean, yea…I do. When I see Jamie and I think about him asking about his grandfather, I always just think that Keith should have been his grandfather, not Dan. And when I think about starting a family…I always wanted Keith to be there. The best man at my wedding, the grandfather to my kid. I always imagined him coming over every weekend for a family dinner with my mom. I just figured he'd be around forever." He shrugged, "It's terrifying how quickly forevers can end." He paused, "And then they're just gone."

Sam looked over at him and stayed silent for two floors until finally, "I never had anyone like that. Forever wasn't a word I knew until I met Brooke and you. And I think forevers are good, even if they do end, you know? It's better to live by forever than never."

Lucas smiled a little bit, "God, you are such a writer."

Sam laughed lightly as the elevator dinged, signaling that they had reached their floor. They walked out together and almost immediately someone called their names.

"Lucas! Sam!"

It was Haley. Of course it was. She sounded as emotional as ever, without even turning around yet, Lucas could tell she was crying, maybe tears of joy. He turned around just in time for her to collide with him and wrap her arms around him tightly.

He moaned, "Hey, come on Hales, let's be gentle here." He said with a smirk.

"Shut up." She shook her head, "You scared me, Lucas. God, you scared me." She paused, "And so did you Sam, all of you." She turned to Sam and wrapped her arms around her too. "Come on, Nathan and Jamie are in his room."

"What about Peyton?" Sam asked.

Haley shrugged, "Haven't seen her." She said, "She called and said she was coming by, but she hasn't gotten here yet." She said as she rushed down the hallway and turned into Jamie's room where Nathan was sitting in a chair by his son's bed.

Jamie looked up when they came in. He smiled up at them, "Uncle Lucas! Sam!" He exclaimed from his bed. The doctors were worried about his smoke inhalation because he was still young and his lungs hadn't fully developed yet so they wanted to prevent any type of infection.

Lucas smiled at his nephew. "Hey there, how you feeling, J. Luke?" He asked as he walked over to Nathan and gave him a quick half-hug.

Jamie shrugged, "Good. My throat hurts. But I'm glad my momma and daddy are back." He said before flashing a big smile over at Haley, who was standing closely by his bed.

Haley smiled down at her son before turning to Lucas and Sam, "How are you two doing?" She asked.

Lucas shrugged, "I'm alright. Throat hurts like Jamie said, a little bit sore, but other than that I think I'm good." He looked over at Sam.

She nodded, "I'm okay too. My head hurts pretty much all the time, but I'm working through it." She said, "I think we all are." She shrugged.

Haley nodded, looking at the ground. They could both yell there was something that she was skating around bringing up. After a few moments, she finally decided to bring it up. "Have you guys been to see Brooke yet?"

Sam looked down at the ground and shook her head, silently guilty for that. "Not yet." She answered, "Have you guys?" She asked, looking up again.

Lucas hated this part. The part after. When they had to go see everyone, when they had to talk about what happened, when they had to face it. He didn't know if he could. That was why he hadn't visited Brooke yet. He didn't want to face it, what he'd done. Because he knew if he went to see her, he would have to.

Haley nodded slowly, "Yea, Nathan and I did. She's definitely…" She trailed off and shook her head, "You two should drop by and see her, it could help…" She said with a shrug.

"Help?" Lucas rolled his eyes. "What is us standing over her bed gonna do to help?" He shook his head, "After all this, I'm surprised they even have help left to give her." He said sadly, even though he didn't mean it.

"Lucas…" Haley stepped towards him.

But he backed up. He couldn't do this anymore: pretend like everything was fine, like things hadn't changed. He shook his head, meeting Haley's eyes. "No. I can't do this anymore." He shook his head again, "I can't." He said before turning and walking out of the room.

He trudged down the hall, not listening to Haley's calls for him to come back. He wasn't sure where he was going, probably just away. Anywhere but there. He was surprised at how quickly his emotions had escalated. It felt like any little thing would just set him off. He turned the corner quickly only to run into someone.

Someone he knew.

Peyton.

She almost fell backwards, but when Lucas realized who she was, he grabbed her and kept her from falling.

"Woah, hey." She said, giving him a curious look. "You alright?"

Lucas nodded and looked her over, "Yea. You?"

She nodded.

"Where have you been? Haley and Nathan asked about you, but we weren't sure if you were here…or if you were somewhere else…or something." Lucas said.

Peyton looked at him for a moment, sighing quietly. "I was with Brooke." She said, shaking her head. "I know I was supposed to visit Jamie and Haley and all of them first, but I just had to see her."

"And…?"

Peyton shrugged, "Health-wise, she's fine. Her lungs, apparently, had a lot of damage, but the doctors didn't seem too concerned about it. And she's also fine to talk to…until something sets her off. It was like…one minute we were talking about…work and then the next, she was crying, balling actually. I didn't know what to do. She told me to leave and here I am."

Lucas nodded and looked at the ground, "I should go visit her, shouldn't I?"

Peyton nodded, "I think you should."

"Alright, well I'll see you later then I guess." He walked past her, "I'm glad you're okay, Peyton." He said over his shoulder as he continued down the hall towards the room number that he remembered to be Brooke's.

He stopped before he opened the door, closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally gathered up the courage to push the door open. He visibly noticed Brooke jump as he did.

"Hey, just me." Lucas said with a friendly smile.

Brooke stared at him as he walked in and then nodded slowly, "Hey Lucas…"

"How're you feeling?" Lucas asked carefully, feeling nervous after hearing what Peyton had said. He didn't want to say the wrong thing. He stepped towards her bed, trying his best to be casual, even though he was sure it wasn't coming across.

Brooke shrugged and looked down at her hands, which she was rubbing together in her lap. "Good, my throat hurts, but other than that…I think I'm alright." Her voice sounded especially raspy, "What about you?" She didn't look up at him.

Lucas nodded and gave a small shrug, "I feel good. The doctors checked me out a few hours ago and then I went down to the police station with Sam and Peyton." He let out a sigh.

"How was that?" She asked, voice void of any emotion.

Lucas stared at her for a moment, not sure what to say. "It was fine." He said, shrugging. "They just sat me down in a room with an officer and pretty much just asked me what happened. And I told him."

Brooke had a cloudy look in her eyes.

"Brooke…?"

She looked up, "Oh…" She shook herself out of it, "Sorry, I was just…"

Lucas stepped closer, "What?"

Brooke shook her head, "I don't know. It's just…I can't get that night out of my mind."

"None of us can, Brooke."

She shook her head again, "It's not even that though." She looked up, "It's you, Lucas. I can't _look_ at you without seeing you get that lamp and…"

Lucas flinched.

"I can't talk to you without remembering how close I was to losing Jamie and Peyton and Sam and you and myself. It's you." She shook her head, "And I don't know why, but…" A tear slipped down her cheek, "It's just…it's you."

Lucas didn't say anything for a long time. It was just hard to get this through his head. The girl he loved and had given his life for didn't want to see him. He couldn't believe it had come to this. And he knew he was supposed to understand and to tell her that everything was okay, but he couldn't. He just felt angry.

"Brooke, don't you understand that you weren't the only one in the house that night?" Lucas asked, shaking his head, "You weren't the only one who was terrified out of their mind and who won't be able to sleep at night because of the nightmares they knew will keep them awake." He paused and shook his head, "We were there too. And for you to reject me because of what happened with Xavier isn't fair."

Brooke shook her head, "I know you were there, Lucas. Trust me, I know. But what you did…I just can't ignore it…"

"But I did it for you!" Lucas exclaimed, "I saved your life, Brooke. I…I hit Xavier with that lamp...to save you." He said, his eyes watering, "You aren't the only one who's changed. What I did that night…I'll never forget. I lost a little piece of myself and I don't know if I'll ever get it back."

Brooke stared at him. "I'm not saying it was wrong, I'm just saying…" She trailed off for a moment, wiping a tear from her face. "I'm just saying it's hard to look at you the same way that I did before…"

"And you don't think it's hard for me to look at you the same?" Lucas shook his head, "If you don't think that me seeing you right now doesn't bring up those same, awful memories from that night then you're wrong." He paused, "But I'm still here. I still chose to come here because I did what I did for you, Brooke. Don't you get that?"

Brooke looked up at him with tear-filled eyes, but didn't say anything.

"Just because this happened, we can't stop living." Lucas said slowly, "And you can't hold this against me…you can't."

Brooke took in a shaky breath and nodded, "You're right." She said, sniffing. "If we…" She drew in another breath, "If we are going to get through this, we have to do it together." She looked up at him, meeting his eyes for the first time.

Lucas looked down at her, "I'm sorry this happened, Brooke."

"It's not your fault."

"I know." He said, "But I'm just sorry." He let out a sigh, "It seems like every time things start to get back to normal, something happens. First your attack, then the crash, then the other attack and now this. It's…it's not right."

Brooke looked down at her hands, "It's just life, I guess." She said, wiping a tear off her face.

"Yea…" Lucas stepped over to her and sat down on the edge of her bed. Gently, he leaned over and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his chest. He put his hand on the back of her head, rubbing her hair, "I guess." He said finally.

* * *

**"When life comes rushing at you from our of the darkness, who will you choose to face it with? Will it be someone you trust? Will they be wise? And will their love for you help them to guide you to the light? Or will they lose their way in the darkness? Will they make noble choices? Or will that person be someone untested, someone new? Life comes rushing at you from out of the darkness, when it does - is there someone in your life you can count on? Someone who will watch over you when you stumble and fall? And in that moment, give you the strength to face your fears alone?"**

Lucas Scott

* * *

**A/N: **Wow, I'm sorry I'm two days late with this update. Honestly, I wasn't expecting to get 20 reviews that fast so I hadn't even finished the chapter yet. And then I got sick so I couldn't finish it. Until now, anyway. I hope you like this chapter, but keep in mind that now I have to write a new chapter every week so they may be shorter. I'll try to get them up on time though. And to all the people who reviewed and got 20 reviews in less than a day...wow, just wow. Please keep reviewing!


	16. Float On

**"The tragedy of life is not death…but what we let die inside of us while we live."**

Norman Cousins

* * *

The car ride was silent.

The time had finally come - a week had passed and it was time. They had all been cleared to leave the hospital a few days earlier, but together, they all went in on a few hotel rooms and stayed there for a few days. The feeling was creeping up on them though, the feeling that eventually they knew they had to return, return to the nightmare they were all trying so hard to forget.

Lucas volunteered to drive. He sat in the front, driving in silence, a stony gaze on his face. Brooke and Peyton both sat in the back seat, holding hands because if there was ever a time they needed each other, it was now.

Behind them, a second car followed with Nathan and Haley in it. They had all decided it was probably for the best to leave Jamie and Sam at home with Skillz the first time that they re-visited the house, considering they didn't know how bad it would be or how Brooke, Lucas and Peyton would react.

It wasn't a long drive from the hotel so they didn't have a lot of time to prepare themselves. But the shock didn't hit when they pulled into the driveway. From the street, a normal person wouldn't notice the damage, but Brooke did. She saw that one of the windows was cracked, she saw the large dent left in the door, she noticed the damage. The small changes screamed out to her loudly, foreshadowing the damage they were about to see.

Slowly, hesitantly, the trio exited the car, followed by Haley and Nathan exiting their car. They all gathered in the driveway before going towards the house. Like in the car, Lucas lead the way, followed by Brooke and Peyton and then Nathan and Haley. It was tense before they went in, everyone was nervous to see how the house had turned out.

Nathan and Haley, having no idea what had actually happened, expected minimal damage. It had only burned for 30 minutes, maybe less, but Peyton, Lucas and Brooke, they expected the worst. And they were right to.

When Lucas pushed the door open, he was shocked. He gulped and stepped inside, half expecting the floor to fall out from underneath him.

The rest of the group followed him in silently, only to be greeted by the same sight.

Everything was black.

The walls, the ceiling, the floor, everything. It was either covered in soot or scorched from the fire, causing a deep, disgusting black color. In the center of the living room was the couch with a chair sitting next to it. Both pieces of furniture, originally a light beige color were now both shriveled and black, along with the pillows on top of them.

But that wasn't even the worst of it.

The table and the chairs by the back door were completely burnt, almost to ashes, because they were made of wood. To their left, the railing of the stairs was gone as well except for the very bottom of all the poles. The carpet on the stairs was scorched and the ceiling, after a closer look, appeared to be severely warped, dipping down towards the ground.

The group stood in the doorway, completely shocked.

Brooke was the first one to move. Slowly, she walked past Lucas, her shoes crunching over the dried soot on the floor. She walked past the couch and the table into the kitchen. Because that was where the fire started, it had the worst damage. It was completely blackened, every single little thing, even all the things inside the cabinets were ruined.

She stepped into the kitchen, facing the window, which was completely shattered. Without turning her head, she reached out towards the counter with a shaky hand. Carefully, she ran her hand across what was once her shiny marble countertop.

Lucas walked up after her, "Brooke…"

She turned around slowly, looking up at him. Her eyes were swimming and a few tears were already streaming down her face. She sniffed, "It's gone…" She said, looking around the kitchen and the living room, "Everything…is gone."

Lucas looked down at her and rubbed her arm, "I know…" He said softly.

Brooke looked over at the counter and moved, picking up a small picture frame. It was burnt, like everything else, and blackened. She looked down at it, shaking her head, "I can't believe it…" She said, voice cracking, "I can't believe it's all ruined…"

"Brooke, it's okay…" Lucas said gently.

But she shook her head, "No, Lucas, it's not!" She exclaimed, "My house is destroyed. This is thousands of dollars in damage. Thousands of dollars that I threw away the moment I signed my company over to my mom." She shook her head, "Everything I worked so hard for is gone! Everything." She pushed past him and walked out the back door.

Lucas didn't follow her, he had a feeling she didn't want him to.

The rest of the group walked over once she was gone, all looking around the destroyed kitchen.

"Hey, don't take it personally Lucas, you know this must be really hard for her." Haley said, squeezing his arm. "Can you imagine?" She shook her head, looking over the kitchen and picked up the same picture Brooke had been holding a few moments earlier. "Even the pictures…"

Peyton didn't say anything. She moved past everyone and went into Brooke's room. She traveled straight to Brooke's closet, which she knew was on the wall opposite the kitchen. The master bedroom didn't look to be affected that much other than the warped ceiling and the wall bordering the kitchen burnt.

In Brooke's closet, some of the clothes had been burnt, but some others could be saved too. Above the clothes, sitting on a rack was a box. Peyton reached up and pulled it down, looking inside. Like the clothes, some things were burnt, but most of it was okay.

Peyton knew about this box. It was full of pictures, most of Brooke's sketches, starting from the ones she's drawn in high school, her first dresses and designs, yearbooks, old papers and stuff from middle school and high school, cheerleading awards. It was basically a memory box and Peyton knew it was really important to Brooke.

She looked inside.

Sitting on the top of the stuff was a frameless picture, scorched on one of its edges. It was picture of Peyton and Brooke, they both looked to be 9 at the most. They were dressed in small soccer outfits with colored face paint on (they'd played soccer as kids, but both quit after Brooke fractured her wrist and refused to play anymore). Brooke was on Peyton's back, laughing, eyes closed and Peyton was bent over, mouth open in a scream.

She remembered that moment too.

They were about to start their game and on the sidelines, Peyton's parents had waved her down while the team had been warming up. They said they wanted to get a picture of her. She was in her clean uniform and she and Brooke had done face paint with some of the other girls so her parents wanted to get a picture of her before the game happened, her face paint got messed up and her uniform got dirty.

Feeling awkward, Peyton posed, smiling for the picture.

Her mom stepped forward, about to take it when suddenly, Peyton heard Brooke. It was distant at first, but then as she got closer, her words became clearer, "Get ready, P. Sawyer!"

Before Peyton could even turn around, she felt Brooke jump on her back, grabbing her around the shoulders to secure herself. Caught by surprise, Peyton almost fell, but thankfully was able to steady herself enough to stay standing.

Behind her, she could hear Brooke laughing, "Hurry and take it before she falls over!" She called to Peyton's mom, still laughing.

Peyton tried to look up at the camera and smile, but Brooke was leaning too far forward, "Brooke! I'm gonna fall!" She yelled just as her mom took the picture. Moments later, Peyton fell forward, Brooke landing on top of her.

Peyton smiled, thinking of it. She clutched the box tightly and walked out of Brooke's room, past the group and out the back door, only to find Brooke standing out on the edge of the dock, arms crossed. Slowly, Peyton walked down the stairs and made her way down the dock. She knew Brooke heard her coming, but she didn't turn around.

As Peyton walked up, she heard Brooke say, "I really don't want to hear it, Peyton…" She said, shaking her head.

Peyton walked up next to her, "Then just look."

Brooke turned and saw the box. She shook her head and looked down inside of it, "Oh my god…" She said, reaching in and pulling out the picture, the same one Peyton had been looking at. As she stared at it, she smiled, wiping the tears off her cheeks.

"Do you remember when my mom took that?" Peyton asked.

Brooke nodded, chuckling lightly, "Yea I do." She looked up at Peyton, "God it feels like yesterday."

Peyton nodded, looking down at it, "Yea one day you're 9 and that day was yesterday and the next, you're 25 and owning your own company…" She smirked.

"Or _not _owning." Brooke said, rolling her eyes. "God, this box…" She set the picture back inside, "I totally forgot about it, how do you even know about it?"

"I remember when you started it." Peyton said with a smirk, "6th grade, you said your parents didn't care enough to make you a memory box so you decided to do it yourself." She nodded to the writing on the side of the box. "I wrote that."

In sloppy, cursive-like letters was written: Brooke Davis' Stuff. Very creative.

Brooke smiled and touched the writing, "Oh yea…you did." She shook her head and glanced up at the house, her smile slowly turning.

Peyton looked at her, "I'm sorry, Brooke." She said, "I know your house is destroyed and it's going to cost a lot and you lost a lot of stuff, but…that night, you also could have lost yourself or me or Lucas or Jamie or Sam. But you didn't. And I think that's what matters."

Brooke nodded slowly, "You're right." She said with a sigh, "It's just hard."

"I know." Peyton said, letting out a long sigh, "But that's why we have each other. For times like this." She said with a shrug as she looked over the water that was gently lapping against the side of the dock, "Come on." She said, turning, "We better get back inside."

Brooke nodded, wiping a few more tears off her face. She wasn't sure if she was ready to go back inside yet, but that didn't matter. She had to face it because if she didn't now, she would just be pushing it off for later, which she didn't want to do so she followed Peyton back up towards the house.

But she was totally unprepared for what she saw through the glass as they walked up.

Her mom.

"Oh crap." Brooke said, staring through the glass.

Neither of them had time to prepare before Bitchtoria was sliding the door open, her face as stoic as ever.

Peyton gave a sarcastic smile, "Wow, I didn't know they reopened the gates of hell to let people visit…?" She shook her head, "But really, Victoria…it's so great to see you, perfect timing. And I mean that." The sarcasm in her voice was obvious.

"Hello Peyton, you're just as classy as ever, aren't you?" Victoria glared at her.

Peyton stepped towards Brooke's mom, "What are you even doing here? It's not like you care. It's not like you're going to help pay for it. So why? Just to observe the destruction that for once, _for once, _isn't affecting you?"

Victoria held Peyton's gaze, "I wouldn't expect you to understand." She said harshly, "I think it's obvious to me and everyone else that you don't understand maternal instincts."

"See that's where you're wrong. I do understand maternal instincts." Peyton spat, "I understand them well enough to know that you don't have any."

Victoria glared at her.

But Peyton didn't back down. She looked like she wanted to add something else, but Brooke interrupted her before she had the chance.

"Peyton, it's okay." Brooke said, stepping towards her mom, "I think…" She had to choke it out, "I think I owe you an apology."

Peyton turned, shocked.

Brooke looked down at the ground, "The attack. I came to New York after my attack and I…blamed you for it. I was hurt and lost and confused and I needed someone to blame. I'm sorry for what I said and what I did, if it matters."

"It doesn't." Victoria said, almost immediately, "But I'm over it now. I came to discuss the company with you…but then I find this? I don't really want to know the details, give me a number."

Brooke shrugged and walked past her mother into the house. She looked around the kitchen, at the living room, the furniture and the ceiling. "At least 50,000, maybe more." She said with a sigh.

Victoria shook her head, "How are you going to pay for that?"

"I don't know." Brooke turned to face her mother.

Victoria sighed, "I don't know either, Brooke. But I know of something that could help." She stepped towards her daughter, "Come back to the company. You'll be head designer again and you'll be able to get the money you need."

Brooke gave her a long look, "Do you realize that you haven't even asked if I was hurt?"

"Were you?"

Brooke shook her head, "You don't care, do you?" She let out a humorless laugh, "You never care. God, god! I was so stupid to think that you actually came back and worried if I was okay. You're just worried about your stupid company, don't you get it mom? When you're on your death bed, when you have your funeral, you're going to need me, you're going to need family, but you won't have it. All you'll have is that company!"

"Don't you think I know that?" Victoria shook her head, "_You_ don't get it, Brooke. You're so naïve, you always have been. It's not about your funeral or your death bed, it's about living life comfortably, glamorously and luxuriously. Family can come and go, but assets, money are comfort."

Brooke glared at her, "Well if you don't care about family, why do you even want me as a designer? Why not get someone else?"

"Because you're talented, Brooke. You truly are one of the best and we need your skills and experience on our side." Victoria said with a shrug, "You're my daughter, Brooke. We are blood and I need you."

Brooke shook her head, "You want me to help you because we're blood." She laughed again, "Blood. Victoria, as far as I'm concerned, you could be just another stranger on the street. You…you're no mother to me. You are nothing."

Victoria smirked, "Are you trying to hurt me?"

Brooke didn't respond.

"You're a child." Victoria rolled her eyes, "Could you just grow up for one minute so that you and I can finally have an adult conversation? You can't hurt me. And every time you try just makes you seem pathetic."

"Hey!"

Victoria turned to where the noise had come from.

Lucas.

"Can I help you?" Victoria asked.

Lucas nodded and stepped towards the woman, "Yea, you can. See, I've known Brooke for what seems like forever, but I've only met you a handful of times. From what I've gathered, you're a heartless shell of a person that will do anything to get what she wants, which is your problem. It's not any of my business…until you talk to Brooke like that. And then it becomes my business." He paused, "So why don't you just take a breath, think before you speak and then figure out just how you're going to apologize to your daughter?"

Victoria didn't wait though, she responded within a few moments, "It's endearing, really, this little dynamic you have going here." She was looking at Brooke, "How you have this guy here to fight your battles for you. You know, if there was ever something I really admired about you, it was the way you always stood up for yourself…" She shook her head, "But admiration can be lost, I guess."

Lucas opened his mouth to say something, but Brooke held her hand up, silencing him. A full minute of silence passed before she finally looked at Victoria, "Get out." Was all she said.

Victoria smirked.

"Get. Out." Brooke repeated, her words tinged with terrifying ferocity.

But Victoria didn't move. "I helped pay for this house, I don't have to go anywhere."

Brooke shook her head and stared at her mother for a long time, "Fine." She said, throwing her hands in the air. "You won't leave? Then I will." She stormed past her mom towards the front door, which she yanked open angrily.

"Brooke." Lucas called out to her.

Brooke turned back towards her friends, "Don't follow me." She said before turning around again and trudging out the door, slamming it loudly behind her.

* * *

**"Having a soft heart in a cruel world is courage, not weakness."**

Katherine Henson

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry it's been so long, I hope you like this chapter. Hopefully, I'll have the next chapter up some time next week. I'm still trying to plan what I want to do so any ideas or thoughts you have about where to take this would be awesome. I always write the best or learn the best when ideas are bouncing around. Who knows? Maybe I'll include one. If I do, I'll make sure to give complete credit to whoever came up with it. Thanks so much for reading and don't forget to review!


	17. Shake It Out

**"Have you ever heard the wonderful silence just before the dawn? Or the quiet and calm just as a storm ends? Or perhaps you know the silence when you haven't the answer to a question you've been asked, or the hush of a country road at night, or the expectant pause of a room full of people when someone is just about to speak, or, most beautiful of all, the moment after the door closes and you're alone in the whole house? Each one is different, you know, and all very beautiful if you listen carefully."**

Norton Juster

* * *

Brooke had always loved this spot. Sitting there with her legs hanging over the side of the concrete, her feet dangling yards above the water that was churning by. She looked down and shook her head. How did she get here?

Not under the bridge, but in this situation. How did she get to this situation? She would give anything to go back to the time before all of this, the times when her biggest problems were the company and deciding between Julian and Lucas. Now, she had much more to worry about. She was basically homeless. Her house could be restored, but it would cost a fortune in renovations, maybe even more than the down payment of the house in the first place. It wasn't fair.

And her mother.

That woman could make her toes curl just at the thought of having to see her. She knew just the right ways to tear Brooke down, to get her to feel stupid or pathetic or insignificant. She'd been dealing with it her entire life, from both her mom and dad. And she was done.

Maybe with everything.

She felt like everything was falling apart and there was no way she could put it back together. It was unfixable. All her stuff, her accomplishments, everything, was unfixable. It just wasn't fair. She felt like it was her turn to live a perfect life. But apparently, her life didn't agree.

"I thought I'd find you here."

Brooke looked up to see Peyton walking up from behind her. She didn't say anything, just turned back towards the water, not really wanting to talk about everything just yet.

Peyton sat down next to her. "We've been through a lot, you and me." She smiled a little bit, "On the drive over here, I was thinking…my mom's death, my dad's disappearance, Ellie's death, Derek, Lucas… you were there during all of that. And you were so…understanding, I never thought anything was going on with you. I was naïve…I didn't see what was going on with your parents. I mean, I knew your mom was bitch, but it never occurred to me what kind of damage she was doing, you know?" She shook her head, "It's not right. A parent shouldn't tear down their kids and make them feel the way you're feeling. And I see it now, all the stuff you were going through when we were kids, I didn't see it then, but I see it now. I'm sorry I didn't see it before, Brooke. I wish I could have been there for you."

Brooke looked over, tears in her eyes, "You were." She said, "All those sleepovers, how we used to laugh and have so much fun, that was how you were there for me. It helped me stay out of the house, it helped me forget."

"What are you thinking?" Peyton asked, "About all of this?"

Brooke shrugged, looking down. "I think I should take the job. I don't have enough money to pay for a new house, let alone the renovations of that house. I have that new line I made, but it's not enough…" She shook her head.

Peyton nodded, "Whatever you decide to do, we'll support you, alright?" She said, "But I just think if you go back to _your _company, you should argue for 50/50 ownership again. Victoria shouldn't be your boss."

Brooke nodded, "You're right." She said, "I will."

"And Brooke," Peyton said, meeting her eyes, "Victoria isn't right about you. I hope you know that. You are strong, capable, smart and great, okay? Anyone who thinks differently is wrong, remember that."

Brooke cracked a smile and wrapped her arms around her friend, "Thanks, P. Sawyer."

Peyton smiled and hugged her back for a moment before standing up, "Come on. We gotta get back, everyone's at Tric, waiting for us." She held out her hand.

Brooke nodded, took Peyton's hand and pulled herself off of the ground, "Okay." She said with a sigh.

* * *

The next week and a half went by slowly. After that day, Brooke had gone to Victoria and negotiated. Eventually, they reached an agreement. They would own the company 50/50, Victoria would handle business, press and other financial decisions and Brooke would design, run and manage the Tree Hill store, which would re-open.

That week, Victoria brought in workers to reimburse Brooke's shop and then loaned Brooke the money she needed to repair the damage done to her house. That same week, Brooke put the house back on the market. She couldn't imagine living in the house where all that had happened. The house didn't get much interest because it was still being repaired and renovated, but she had no doubt that eventually, it would.

Her friends helped her move all of her un-damaged stuff out, which wasn't a lot. She kept it in a storage unit for the time being, while she, Sam and Peyton stayed with Haley and Nathan at their house.

Brooke felt better after a week. That night, it was beginning to become a memory. But the nightmares still kept her up at night. And the scars on her arms, the small scratches and bruises that still hadn't healed yet, those gave her chills every time she caught a glimpse of them.

And Lucas.

Talking to him was so hard for her, but as the week went by the freshness and the shock started to fade, she could see that he was hurting too, maybe it more ways than she was. She decided that she would talk to him about it when the time was right, whenever that would be.

Also that week, Brooke contacted Julian, who'd been calling her nonstop since the incident. It took her a few days to find the strength to actually call him back and explain everything that had happened. She also told him that she didn't really want to be in a relationship while she was trying to heal. He understood, which she was thankful for.

It was halfway through the second week when Brooke got a call from Lucas. She found it strange, considering they didn't talk as much as they used to. He said he wanted her to come over so they could catch up. She didn't object, that actually sounded nice.

She said a quick goodbye to Haley, Nathan, Jaime, Sam and Peyton before finally getting in her car and driving down to Lucas' house. She knew the way. It felt like yesterday when she'd been driving over to either "hook up" with him, or apologize for sleeping with Chris Keller, or to comfort him after the school shooting. Each time had been different, but she remembered them so clearly.

She felt like she was driving so slow until she actually arrived at his house and realized that it'd only been 10 minutes. She got out of her car and walked past the side door to his bedroom, which she could see was still painted black, and walked over to the front door. She'd only used this door a handful of times. The side door and the back door were what she remembered using most.

A few moments passed after she knocked and then Lucas answered, he looked nice. He had black dress pants on and a nice blue and white pinstriped shirt on that was, of course, tucked neatly into his pants.

She smiled, "Hey Luke." She stepped forward and embraced him.

"Brooke." Lucas said as he pulled away, "Come in." He said, moving so that she could walk in. He followed her as she went through, shutting the door behind them. "I hope you weren't doing anything, I just wanted to talk…"

Brooke shook her head, "No. I was just sitting with everyone back at Nathan and Haley's. They've been so great, letting us stay there." She paused, "There aren't a lot of places for sale around here…"

Lucas nodded slowly, "Yea. Well, I'm sure you'll figure something out." He said shortly, "How's everything going with your mom?" He asked, "And the company?"

"Good, actually. She's been civil. She let me re-hire Millie as my assistant manager, which was nice. She's actually acting like a human, I've been surprised. She says she's leaving in a few days, maybe a week." Brooke said slowly, "But I'm done talking about me. What about you, Luke? I feel like I haven't seen you in a while."

Lucas nodded, "I've been okay." He said slowly, "Just trying to figure some stuff out. I've spent a lot of time writing, reading. It's been tough."

Brooke looked at him, trying to read his expression, but it was blank. "I know…we haven't talked about it since that day at the hospital, but Lucas, what you did wasn't wrong, okay?" She said, "You saved me."

Lucas nodded, "I know, it's just hard to forget."

Brooke took his hands in hers, "Luke, look at me."

Lucas lifted his eyes from the ground and looked at her.

Brooke squeezed his hands and stared into her eyes, "Lucas, these aren't the hands of a killer. These are the hands that have wrote two _stunning _ books, these are the hands that shot the winning hoop of the state championship basketball game, these are the hands that carried Peyton out of the school the day of the shooting. These are _your _hands, Luke. You are not a killer."

Lucas clutched her hands, "I know. I've been struggling with it, but I think…I think I'm finally starting to move past it, you know?" He smiled a little bit, "I've missed you, Brooke. You always know what to say."

"Are you kidding?" Brooke chuckled, "You're the writer, Lucas. If there's anyone who always knows what to say, it's you." She smirked.

Lucas rolled his eyes, "Just take the compliment, Brooke."

Brooke laughed and slapped his hand, lightly, "I've missed this, Luke. I can't stand us not being like we were before." She said, "Do you think we're okay now?"

Lucas nodded, "Of course." He smiled, "Come here." He stood up and held his arms out.

Brooke stood up too and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head gently on his chest. She loved how warm it felt being wrapped in his arms and how affectionately he squeezed her. She smiled to herself.

After a few moments, they pulled away, "Alright, time to go."

"What?" Brooke asked, thinking that he was telling her she had to leave.

Lucas grabbed his car keys, "Come on. We're going for a ride." He said, walking towards the front door, swinging his keys through his fingers.

Brooke glanced back at her purse, which was sitting on the table a few feet away. "Like an "I-need-my-purse-because-we're-going-shopping" kind of ride or a "we're-going-sightseeing-and-not-spending-money" ride?"

Lucas smirked, looking back at her, "Just come on."

Brooke followed him, leaving her purse sitting there in his kitchen. She climbed into the passenger's seat of his car, kind of confused at how sudden this drive had come up in their conversation. "Where are we going?"

Lucas didn't reply.

"Luke…?"

Lucas looked over at her, "It's nothing bad, Brooke. We're just going for a ride down memory lane." He drove slowly down the street as they passed Peyton's old house, Nathan's old house, Haley's old house and Mouth's old house. "Looks just the same, doesn't it?"

"Chillingly." Brooke nodded.

Luke slowed down, "What about that one?" He smiled.

Brooke looked out the window and saw her old house. It looked exactly the same as it always had. She remembered sitting on the steps countless times when she'd been young, listening to her parents fighting and writing in her diary. She remembered the celebrations and fights she'd had in that house, all the memories. She felt herself starting to smile, "It looks exactly the same."

Lucas pulled over in front of it and put his car in park, "Wanna take a look inside?"

Brooke whipped her head towards him, "Uh, no. People live in there, Luke."

Lucas smirked, "Oh come on. What happened to the "fun Brooke"? The one that "took the plunge"?" He chuckled and got out of his car before walking around and opening her door.

Brooke tilted her head, "We can't do this, Luke."

"Oh come on, Brooke. We're just taking a look around, I bet they keep a key under the rug. What's the harm in it?" Luke asked as he turned and started walking towards the house, hands in his pockets.

Brooke stumbled out of the car, pushing the door shut behind her, "Luke!" She whisper-called. "What the hell are you doing?"

"What? We're just looking around."

Brooke grabbed his arm, "There's a word for this, Luke. Trespassing. And trust me, it's completely illegal. I would know." She said, looking up at her old house, clutching Luke by the sleeve of his jacket.

He turned, "You would know?" He raised his eyebrows, expecting a story.

"Not the time." She shook her head, "Let's just go. I'm not ready to go to jail. Yea, yea, it's my old house. It looks nice from the outside, lots of memories, so nice. Why don't we go get some coffee or something?" She suggested desperately.

Lucas pulled her towards the front door, "Take a chance, Brooke. We're only young once, you know?" He grinned and bent over, he pulled out a key from under the rug, "Wow, how cliché." He said as he stuck the key in the lock.

"Oh god." Brooke said as she paced behind him, "Breaking and entering, trespassing, so much jail time. God, I wouldn't survive a second in jail, Luke. Not a second! We have to get out of here."

Lucas shook his head and stepped into the house. Once he was in, he turned back towards her. "If you want to leave…" He dangled his car keys, "You're gonna have to come inside." He chuckled and walked further inside.

Brooke didn't step in. Her heart was pounding. She looked around quickly for any signs of the family returning before slowly, stepping through the doorway. "Oh god, there it goes. I just broke the law. This is bad. This is so illegal. Luke, I swear if I go to jail…" She rambled as she walked through.

All the furniture was the same. She remembered her parents had sold the house fully furnished. The family must have kept most of their old furniture. Sure, they moved it and re-arranged, adding a few new pieces here and there, but it was mostly the same. She would have admired it too, under different circumstances.

"Lucas!" Brooke's heels pounded against the hardwood floor, "Luke, get over here!"

He smiled, standing in the center of the living room. "Looks the same, doesn't it?" He chuckled, "I can't believe they kept all of your furniture, what a coincidence." He said, looking around.

Brooke stared at him, "Luke. We need to leave. This was fun, completely fulfilling, but I think I'm ready to go." She said urgently, glancing around like she was afraid the owners of the house would walk in at any moment.

"Wow, this looks nice." Lucas said, looking down at a small glass ornament sitting on the coffee table. He picked it up, "I doubt they'd even notice if it was gone." He said as he slipped it into his pocket.

"Oh my god, I did not just see that." Brooke said, turning around, "Luke, put that back right now." She said, covering her eyes with her hand, "Put it back. I didn't see it. I'm not an accomplice, oh god."

Lucas came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, "Oh come on…be cool, Brooke."

Brooke couldn't count the number of times she'd heard that.

_Be cool, Brooke, it's just a cigarette. _

_Be cool, Brooke, it isn't that hard to shoplift. _

_Be cool, Brooke, your parents won't notice you're drunk. _

_Be cool, Brooke, sex isn't a big deal._

She pushed away from Lucas, "I swear, if you don't put that back right now, I'm going to-"

"Hey!" A voice said.

Brooke's whole body froze, she closed her eyes, thinking that maybe that would prevent whoever that was from seeing her. She clenched her fists and didn't move, her heart beating so hard she could barely breathe. She was sure this was it. She was going to jail. She would lose her company, her house, her friends and all for what? Lucas. She felt like she was going to throw up.

After a few moments of quiet passed, she started to re-open her eyes and when she did, she saw a person standing in the doorway. When she first opened her eyes, the glare from the sun made it so she couldn't make out the person, but after a few seconds she realized who it was.

Nathan.

"Nate…?"

He walked up to her, "Hey Brooke, what's going on?" He smiled.

"What…?" Brooke turned back to Lucas, who was just smiling at her.

And then, out of nowhere, Peyton walked out from around one of the corners, followed by Haley and Jamie, who were holding hands. From the kitchen, Chase, Sam, Skillz, Mouth and Millie all walked in.

Brooke looked up at Nathan, who was standing the closest to her, "What's going on?" She asked, completely baffled by what was happening.

He smirked, "Ask him." He pointed to Lucas.

Brooke turned around and faced him, "Luke?"

He smiled, "About a week ago, when you put your house back on the market, we all decided to help you look for a new house. A day after, Nathan called me up and said that your old house was back on the market and then we all had an idea. We called the realtor, all pitched in on a down payment of this house and then a few days ago, we moved all the stuff from your storage unit here. Me, Peyton, Haley, Nathan, Julian, Mouth, Millie, Chase, my mom and even your dad, we all donated money, just enough to take this house off the market. It's been a year since anyone has actually lived in it, but it's still fully furnished and with monthly payments and homeowners insurance…it will be yours, again." He smiled, "What do you think?"

Tears filled her eyes before he even finished, "What was all this, just now?"

Lucas smirked, "I thought we should have a little bit of fun before we told you. Everyone agreed." He said as he set the glass ornament back down on the coffee table, "You didn't really think I was going to steal that, did you?"

"I don't know!" Brooke said, pushing him, "Oh my god, Lucas, I almost killed you just now." She said, half-laughing, half-crying. "Oh, you guys…you didn't have to do this for me." She said, looking around at everyone.

"Yea we did, Brooke. After everything that's happened, we all just figured that you needed some help. And we were happy to give it." Haley said with a smile.

Brooke shook her head, "Thank you…" She said, embracing Haley first because she'd spoke last, "Thank you all so much, you have no idea how much this means to me, this house…it's my home and…I can't believe I'm living it in again." She paused, "And I promise, one day…I'll pay all of you back once I'm rich again." She said with a laugh,

"Don't worry about it." Nathan said, "Haley and I took care of most of it. We have a lot of extra money that we were saving for a vacation trip this summer, but this was more important. That only left like 150,000 left for everyone else to split and then your dad took a huge chunk out of that. I mean, I think everyone else only had to pay like 3,000 or 4,000 each."

"My dad…" She shook her head, tears in her eyes, "God, I love you guys so much…I can't even describe…" She just sniffed, "This is the most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you…so much." She said as she started to walk around from person to person, hugging them tightly and saying her heartfelt thank you.

Lastly, there was Lucas.

She looked up at him, "Luke, thank you…so much." She said, embracing him tightly, "This is just…amazing, really." She kissing him lightly on the cheek before pulling away, "And about this little prank you put together, make sure you keep in mind…" She said, leaning in really close, "Payback is a bitch."

* * *

**"The best relationships in our lives are the best not because they have been the happiest ones, they are that way because they have stayed strong through the most tormentful of storms."**

Pandora Poikilos

* * *

**A/N: **Hey guys, sorry it's been a while. I hope you like this chapter. Things are really moving along. I think we're really starting to get into the relationship stuff now. I hope you guys keep reviewing. I'm sorry that the chapters are taking so long, but I just like to take time and care in writing them before I post. Thanks so much for reading! Don't forget to review!


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